Melt me
One day, I will break free that shadow now pulling back across the dead, yellow grass and into that darkest of places where the bright...
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Welcome
Thank you for visiting! I'm truly grateful. Here you will find me, my art, and my poetry. A little witness of my life thus far.
- Chad
Chad
Just one more little life living alongside the other eight billion on Earth at this moment in Time
Though a poet and artist, I am foremost an Advocate for Love, for Love is the one thing that buoys my life above all the currents of its bad. Love sheltered me through the catastrophic storms of 9/11 in NYC, the suicides of my best friend and my mother, and the death of my father after his rapid decline into dementia. Love lifted me as I tread through the rejections of those I love because I am queerly gay and the unacceptance by those I love because I am a bit of a Jesus child. Love embraced me closer through my bouts of depression, alcoholism, self-destruction, and self-sabotage. While these 50 years of life have, at times, seemed a maelstrom spinning me down, down, down into oblivion, no matter what, when all has seemed lost, whenever I have been so close to drowning and being pulled under, Love has kept me alive. Love keeps my hope alive. And it is through this hope that I can see beyond all that's wrong to the continuously cascading of good. That's the waterfall I want to show you.
Proudest accomplishment:
Being Uncle Chad
#smilelines
#smilelines is a hand-drawn upside-down frowns digital art series I am creating in conjunction with my 49 thin lines poetry project.
On my 49th birthday, I took out a piece of paper and drew forty-nine thin lines, by fives, across the page. As I finished the last four lines, I reflected upon this visual representation of my time alive. How was I to interpret it? What did it mean? What did I want it to say?
Yet when recalling the years of my life represented by the lines, I was surprised to find that, ultimately, I just wanted to smile. Though each line contained its own devastations and celebrations, through it all, by God’s grace, I’m still here. I’m still keeping on keeping on, as my dad would say. I am still surviving. I'm drawing yet another line. And if for nothing else, that gives me hope, a new hope, a hope in need of being passed along.
Here's my try with #smilelines...
In memory of my Uncle Stan Ball
"Introducing the #achoo Abstract Modern Art Smilelines Tote Bag, an abstract, hand-drawn digital painting capturing the dynamic movement of a sneeze to the exhilarating blowout. This artwork from Chad A. Gurley's #smilelines collection adds an artistic and energetic touch to your daily life. Carry the #achoo Tote Bag as a unique accessory that blends fashion and creativity." Find at Zazzle.
Give me a boost
Subscribe to get updates on the digital art series, #smilelines, and my book of poetry in progress, 49 thin lines, my witness of life's many moments... the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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