A decade before Club Clearview existed in Deep Ellum, maybe 1975, I went to visit my mentor's friend who had a studio in that area. His name was Wayne Amerine. Wayne had been an art director before he turned to full time artist. If you're down in the West End, bend your head back and look up at the roof next to the Dallas Aquarium. There's a life size Holstein cow being ridden by a nude woman; long, jet black wooden hair sticking straight out behind her head. Blowing in the wind. Up on the roof.
Wayne became famous for his wooden cows. Stanley Marcus purchased a whole herd of them.
Wayne & I became friends. When I hit him up to donate to the DSVC (www.dsvc.org) art auction in 1992, he didn't hesitate. That's how Ed Zahra(zahradesign.com), former DSVC president, ended up with a smaller version of the naked cowgirl who keeps an eye on the West End parking lots.
Wayne is a cancer survivor. More than ten years ago he was given ten years to live...at the most.
Evidently Wayne wasn't listening. He told friends that his goal was to live to celebrate his 80th birthday. He did that last month on December 28th. Wayne lives in San Antonio where he has easy access to the VA hospital. He also has a son in S.A. and some grandchildren.
Catherine Lewis, pictured above, is a friend of mine and Wayne's. Remember. When one is down, family and friends can be the lift that keeps them up, sometimes fueling the very desire it takes to live through a difficult situation.
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