ART SCHOOL AND BANJO'S The last NY gig I had was a great one. An instructor took maternity leave at The School of Visual Arts, and I was invited to substitute for her! I assisted the master painter, printmaker and cartoonist, David Sandlin for a semester in the print department. At first I felt so lost, but I think, I hope, got the hang of it. The students, for the most part, were brilliant, and talented. 2 of my students went on to work with the New Yorker, and The Times...It was just as much a learning experience for me, as for them. That and I made some good friends. Dominick Rapone, is still a great friend to this day, and a extremely talented artist! After this, I took some of the Japanese money, and feeling like I was loosing my mind, decided to fulfill a desire I've had for sometime. I always wanted to learn how to read music. I use to play guitar a little, but didn't want to get back into the guitar that much, so I scouted around town to find a banjo teacher! I lucked out by finding the best teacher on the planet! Ronny Lee was the ticket! A brilliant talent, and sweet man. I spent some more of my Japanese money and took a ferry to Stanton Island, and picked up a beautiful, 1927 SoloTone, UG Leedy, 4 string! I spent all my time practicing and learning as much as Ronny could throw at me. Granted I'm sure I wasn't his best student, but I didn't care, I was enjoying it. CONTINUED CHAPTERS 1 | 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14