Rosalynde LeBlanc

A few months ago, at a time when I was particularly exhausted from the recurring insolvency of my free-lance dancer lifestyle, I thought I had been granted a little monetary relief through an act of divine intervention. I was standing on the subway platform waiting for the downtown A train and absent-mindedly flipping through AmNewYork. Just a moment before I had been holding the unopened newspaper over the trash can, but something told me to read it on the ride home. Amidst a flutter of newsprint, a familiar image caught my eye.

Alongside a story about Bedell Winery of Long Island’s 2001 reserve merlot, (which was having its celebratory release that weekend), was a picture of the bottle of wine. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was on the label.

It was a watercolor painting after a photograph that had been taken by Howard Schatz almost 10 years ago. The artist behind the impressionistic rendition was Eric Fischl, an esteemed painter of the contemporary art world. Despite the diluted detail of the figure, I recognized myself immediately. This limited edition was selling for $200 a bottle.  

I hopped on the train and rode home with a wind storm of thoughts in my head. Does Howard ...