Chapter 10 – Tale of Two Lives

The artists life. 

The artists life. What’s the artists life like, with a family and friends? Mornings were to get my three kids off to school. And one day a week I drove to piano lessons. Then there were the denists, doctors, orthodontists, groceries etc. Some days I’d volunteer at the art department of the high school. 

Back to the Artists Life 

The next part of the day I was off to the studio, where I spent too many happy hours. Some days I would get lost in my painting and miss getting home in time for the family’s dinner. Dinner was usually prepared and ready, but sometimes I wasn’t ready to get back home. The studio was my sanity. And that’s the best part of the artists life. Of course, this part of my artists life was supported by my “sugar-daddy.”  Yes Al helped me with all of my art life expenses. Therefore those are the expenses that I couldn’t cover from sales of my art. 

And then there was my social life. We were friendly with two couples who lived in our area. One couple was extremely wealthy and did nothing all day. Their drug habit took up most nights. But their lives came to life on the weekends. The other couple worked as women’s clothing reps. They sold high end and very high fashioned clothing. 

Now the clothing couple felt that I definitely needed their help. They didn’t approve of one thing that I owned. So they were my fashion gurus. They selected my clothing and often gave me samples to add to my wardrobe. In other words, on weekends I was dressed by my friends.  

Let’s talk about my regular wardrobe.

My wardrobe basically consisted of jeans and tennis shoes. The majority of my artists life wardrobe was embellished with oil paints. 

Well, except for my weekend, ”go out for dinner with friends’ choice of clothes”; none of which I chose. All were chosen for me

Then there was my weekday makeup and jewelry.

I wore none except for my wedding ring.

But on the weekend I tried to follow my glamorous sister’s guidance. Makeup done by the Chicago area makeup artist for the models, Marilyn Miglin Studios. Skin, lips and eyes by Miglin. Eyes were the most fashionable false eyelashes made for both top and bottom lids. 

Yes I was a mannequin who socialized every weekend with her fancy friends. We frequented the finest restaurants in Chicago, mostly Italian and French. The artists life socially was not really me. That woman could fit into any Neiman Marcus display window. 

And then came the evening that definitely did me in. 

Here’s the details of the evening. We drove down to Michigan Avenue. Our car was given to the doorman and we climbed the stairs to the most elegant intimate French restaurant in Chicago. We were seated in this candlelit, quiet, very quiet little space. It was dark by normal standards, so dark that I was having a really hard time reading the appetIzer menu. After ordering our cocktails I heard Gloria say ”just bring us the left hand page.”

For a moment I thought I heard her wrong, so I said, Gloria did you just order the left hand page of appetizers? Yes she said. There were about 12 or 15 appetizers on that page. Quietly I asked “Why would you have done that?” Her answer, “how will we know how they all taste if we don’t try them?” I sat quietly for a moment, swallowed hard and realized I was lost. REALLY Lost!

I stood up and said, “I can’t do this anymore. And I started peeling off my eyelashes, then I took off the jewelry, one ring at a time. I removed the very uncomfortable fashionable jacket, and off came the necklace and those perfect bracelets. I turned to Al and said I don’t know who I am. Jackie is stuck between their world and reality and this is crazy. I have to leave and I am now in search of Jackie. She’s somewhere in here I know, as I tapped on my chest and said…. 

I can’t play this game of let’s pretend for one more minute.

My announcement was that I love all of you, but our values do not blend with one another’s values. I have to leave. I’ll take a taxi home. I’m going on a search for Jackie. 

That was the last time that I wore makeup, fancy clothes, high heels and the rest of the costume. No more dress-up for 10 years. Oh and I gave up wine and French food too.

What did I do next? Kismet took care of that.

My inspirations life

https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ni-Pe/O-Keeffe-Georgia.html

Would you be kind enough to have friends and family who’d be interested in this series “Meet The Artist”  sign up to become a friend of the artist. Thank you.

https://jackiejacobson.com/meet-the-artist-series/