Machines-Objects

One night on my way home walking down Broadway, I came across a discarded time clock (without a case, just the machine)-the kind that was used for clocking in and out of work. It sat in my East Village apartment for months. I had no idea what to do with it. I finally moved into a "real loft" that I could use as an artist studio. In the apartment, I tried to paint but couldn't really come up with anything. I had brought the "machine" to the loft as it sat there, I thought. I felt: why not paint IT...paint it just the way it was! I didn't need to invent or create or interpret anything; it was all right there in the "machine." Even though at the time, I was a "youngster," but had been trying to paint for ten years-this was MY FIRST PAINTING! It felt right.