In response to our post wishing Rose Lamb a happy birthday, Ani Rose in Colorado writes: “I teared up.. when Rose told you you could beat your disease, and when you said, ‘If I beat it, I’m going to paint.’ I love the fact that you have gone on to paint, and that Rose is such a big piece of your being.’” Matt responds:
Ani, thank you very much. Rose has been the rock in my life. There’s just no bullshit about her. It is what it is. She looks at things not through rose-colored glasses but through the reality of life, so she is my constant cheerleader and also my constant critic. I always say to her, “If you begin to like too many of my paintings, I might be in big trouble!” I think I need the stimulus and the agitation of, “What are you doing now?” Probably her most caustic statement about a piece of my art is, “It won’t be one of my favorites...” Then I know it must really be a pile of shit! Although I must admit, sometimes I think, Maybe I like piles of shit! God forbid that I stop making piles of shit! When I do, then I’ll know I’m probably at the end of my life!
So Rose and I take the good, the bitter, and the sweet together. It makes for a wonderful, caring, and stimulating life. As she and I have said in these last months, we’re closer to 80 now than we are to 70. We always thought 80 was really old. Now we’re not so sure. But I can tell you without hesitation that in my mind, I’m still somewhere between 16 and 18, wondering where the hell I’m going and what the hell I’m doing. It’s still a great adventure to get up every day and try to figure out what’s going on. My prayer and thought every day for Rose and me is: We ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Matt