We met a young skater named Charles Martin, an interesting guy studying at SFAI, through our friend Henry Gunderson. Charles would stop in the gallery from time to time, and the last time he came through he told us he was off to NYC to study at Cooper Union where his brother also studys. Getting into Cooper Union is no small feat. They're one of the most selective schools in the U.S. Well known for their art and science programs, C.U. admits students based on merit alone and provides each with a full-tuition scholarship. A FREE top rate highly demanding education.

Into his first year at Cooper Union we wanted to see what Charles was working on and know how he was handling the big city and the school's heavy demands.

We get a lot of homework; we have a lot of classes. Most of our time goes to school. The toughest part for me has been time management which is a large part of what it seems we’re supposed to learn in this first year. People who can’t keep up get the boot. There are a lot of distractions in Manhattan, that if you can fall victim to, it only makes it harder. I heard some things before coming here that proved to be complete lies in my situation. It gets really nerve wrecking at times, but no pain, no gain.

It’s a lot different than San Francisco. If I could change one thing it would be the winter. I grew up in Buffalo, NY so I’m pretty accustomed to snow, maybe even TOO accustomed to the snow; me and old man winter have a love hate relationship. New York has been really overwhelming, but I am definitely enjoying myself.

This semester I have less foundation classes so I’ve been able to paint a lot more. From January fourth to 18th was winter break, so the school was open but NO ONE was here. It was AWESOME I just got to come to my studio everyday and make work, no assignments. I’ve been reading about black history and other radical organizations that make it their business to fight whatever injustices they face. I also have a book about Einstein and a couple of memoirs. When I can I work on my apartment. I just got some rolls of film, and I found out that my school has a color processor, so I'm going to check that out. There’s a yoga studio really close that I've been trying to take advantage of.

We both have our advantages.

After my year at SFAI I have about forty thousand dollars in debt! So making a dent in that before I graduate would be nice.

Most of the stuff here was made between January fourth and now. As I said last semester I didn't get to make as many paintings. My personal work routine has picked up and I've just made sure to enjoy myself in the studio. I play good music and soon enough my hands and imagination are wandering in unison. It’s a nice parallel to completing some assignment or having limits to work within. Without a doubt I benefit from schoolwork, sometimes I just get caught up on a project and forget why I make things in the first place. It scares me to think about abandoning those beautiful, un-calculated and inspirational moments of creation, where you've arrived at such a great destination that you don't even know how you got there. I could go on and on about what the images mean but I don't want to say too much at the moment, because as paintings they should be able to speak for themselves.

Skateboarding, film class, taking an architecture class in the fall, hanging out with my little sister, pacific salt water, traveling, and last but not least UNBEATABLE NY! A show some of my friends from SF are playing on February 14th (Valentine’s Day) at Webster Hall. In the lineup is Shlohmo who has been gaining traction lately. It’s going to be an awesome show and they need as much support as they can get!

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