In the middle of the busy summertime, some things have to take a back seat. Otherwise ALL the chores and activities would want to ride shotgun and run the show.
There was one thing I really wanted to do, but found it nigh on impossible to accomplish. It's because this activity requires a certain calmness of space, mind, and body that I find challenging to create around here sometimes. Art cannot be rushed. Well, wait a minute. MY art cannot be rushed. There are some artists who seem/seemed a little frantic... Jackson Pollack comes to mind.
The mind boggles.
Not sure what to make of this.
My ambitions are much smaller.
VERY much smaller...
It took me three days of sorting, cleaning, tidying, and schedule clearing to get to this spot.
Painting is so different than knitting or weaving. It requires ALL of my attention. I can knit without even looking at my hands. But painting? You better have your attention focused!
But the trade off to all this effort is that while painting, almost everything swirling around in your mind, you know, those things that buzz around like gnats, or worse, mosquitos... are all shooed away and nothing remains but you and the paintbrushes and the colors. I suppose that's what Jackson liked about it too. The Zone. Time takes a hike. The clamoring world takes a coffee break and you get to live in the quiet for a while.
Now I know this is not GREAT art up there surrounded by blue painter's tape. But it's MY little art. Besides, it's the intimate, still space that I enjoyed while painting it that is the REAL value to me.
And I get a little gift when it's over....
I'll never be rich or famous.
But I'll have a little Zen.
That's good enough for me.
The mind boggles.
Not sure what to make of this.
My ambitions are much smaller.
VERY much smaller...
It took me three days of sorting, cleaning, tidying, and schedule clearing to get to this spot.
Painting is so different than knitting or weaving. It requires ALL of my attention. I can knit without even looking at my hands. But painting? You better have your attention focused!
But the trade off to all this effort is that while painting, almost everything swirling around in your mind, you know, those things that buzz around like gnats, or worse, mosquitos... are all shooed away and nothing remains but you and the paintbrushes and the colors. I suppose that's what Jackson liked about it too. The Zone. Time takes a hike. The clamoring world takes a coffee break and you get to live in the quiet for a while.
Now I know this is not GREAT art up there surrounded by blue painter's tape. But it's MY little art. Besides, it's the intimate, still space that I enjoyed while painting it that is the REAL value to me.
And I get a little gift when it's over....
I'll never be rich or famous.
But I'll have a little Zen.
That's good enough for me.