Sometime in the 80s I went into the Ernest Tubbs Record store on Lower Broadway In Nashville to buy some records. I had just acquired some traveling money and I wanted to treat myself to a couple of albums. They say not to judge a book by its cover but I was drawn to the night paintings by Susanna Clark on an Emmylou Harris album and a Willie Nelson album and I bought them both. The title song Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town was written by Susanna. Willie’s Stardust became one of the top selling albums of all time. A few days later I was on the road hitch hiking back home to New York State. I had grown so nonchalant about traveling that way that I carried the two records in the original plastic bag that came with them like I was just returning home from a shopping trip. It rained a lot on that trip and I had learned to have my ride drop me off at the last underpass before their exit so I could stay dry while I thumbed. I later learned that Susanna was married to the legendary Texas songwriter Guy Clark, but it was Susanna that caught my attention first. I got to meet them both a couple of times at his shows, but it was nothing memorable for them. Not like it was for me. Eventually I got their address when they lived at a place they called Crosswinds in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. I sent her one of my night paintings as a gift with a letter telling her how much she inspired me. It took awhile but she wrote me back with a most inspirational letter. I had hoped our paths would cross again but they moved into Nashville and their new address was hard for me to get and we lost track of each other. She would go on to write and co-write some great songs and create some fine art. She was a beautiful person and a muse to many, including me. But towards the end of her life she was heart broke. Guy had her heart but Townes Van Zandt had her soul and when he passed away she gave up on life and art. At least that is my understanding of what happened. Reading her letter now makes me sad that I didn’t keep up our correspondence and continue inspiring each other. Art can be a powerful medicine and I am reminded of the Bob Dylan quote, “The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What more can you do for someone than inspire them?”
The Artist Monk 