When I was in High School, my brother Phil Sivilli - a kick ass guitar player and songwriter - had a band. It was called “The Civilians”. (see the subtle word play?)

Throughout my entire college career , that is , my actual “TOUR” of art schools throughout the greater New York area, I was consistently quitting to play music with my brother, then going back to school to study the field that chose me - visual arts.

Although playing the piano was a childhood passion, my adult life proved a need for a more solitary road. Few things are more solitary than painting in a studio for many hours at a time. Yet the interaction of music and art remained constant.

My brother’s band broke up in the 90’s then I had a couple of kids and ran a little cooperative gallery call “STEAMROLLER”. I went insane working with a bunch of artists together in one place. Yeah, I sold some paintings and met a lot of really vital local people. Yet it was my handprinted shirts what would prove to provide me regular income. Folks were buying them and wearing them. I would have preferred them to wear my paintings, but that would look so silly.

Having enough of too much social interaction, I decided to “borrow” my brother’s moniker and place a singular emphasis on the Sivilli wordplay. I became “Civilian” One singular human making art alone. Sweet.

But alas, alone does not last in the retail world. The over emphasis on social interaction proved detrimental to my passion for my business as well as my marriage. So I quit everything. Drastic, you may say... but that’s the way it played out. So I went back to teaching, (did I not mention that I teach?) at some of the local colleges and playing music. Yet the lure of a regular income haunts me.... So here I am back at making handprinted shirts and getting to know my customers again.

I think I am ready.