Portrait of myself: "There, there" by Geoff Laurence, 1999

When I first arrived in America I didn't know where I was, and I ended up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's a long story how I got there, but I did all kinds of work to survive. There's no dole in the US, so you work. No shuffling up to the dole office every other thursday, and seeing someone at the DHS about them paying your rent. You get a job, no matter what that job might be. In many respects it's far healthier to just do a menial job than to sign on the dole, I think. It keeps you grounded in reality.

And covered in soot, if you sweep chimneys...

Apart from all manner of work, including sweeping chimneys, being a handyman, and helping people move, I found myself posing for artists, as there are a lot of them in Santa Fe. It's where I met my dear friend Geoff Laurence, who is a magnificent portrait painter. I'll probably tell you more about Geoff in the blog. I posed for him a few times. We drank plum tea, played chess, ate McVitie's digestives, and discussed life, the universe, and everything. Geoff's alright.