“What kind of painting does Rick Frisbie do?”

That was the question my friend’s partner asked him. 

Curious, I asked, “What did you tell her?” 

“Sort of loose,” he replied.

I laughed and said, "I would say rough."

Another friend told me that she thinks many of my paintings fall into the 'abstract expressionist' category. I can go with that. In fact, I like it. 

Since I am primarily self-taught I have always had a strong determination and sense of independence. I feel at liberty to try anything in any way or combination in order to learn more about painting. I have much I want to learn. 

Recently I watched the movie In the Good Old Summer Time with Judy Garland. Her song “I Don’t Care” caught my attention. Don’t misunderstand me -- I care deeply about painting, my own paintings, in particular. I have eagerly spent 2-4 hours every morning since 2000 to learn and practice my passion: painting.

But Judy’s song touched a note in me about the opinions of people with much more formal art education than me. Judy sings,