Thought for The Day - Remaining Calm

Linen, Remaining Calm 30 x 40 oil (in process!)

The best laid plans of mice and men...

I can start a piece, intent on going "this way." But subtle changes crop up, appear dazzling and grand and I'm off in a different direction. The wonderful thing about it, is the entire process is a lesson in planning and trusting God to guide me along the way. A coworker had a saying up years ago: "Man plans, G__ laughs." I prefer to think of it as it's said in Proverbs 16:1: "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue."

"Remaining Calm (working title, already changed from yesterday)" is a piece about just that: Calm, and remaining that way. Personally, I'm a big of calm, of smooth of peaceful. Even now, a recording by Pat Metheny plays in the background and in Pat's style, there is often this sense of something "epic" going on. But there's always a sense of tranquility. Creativity can be chaotic; often that's exactly what it is. The process can be full of anger, frustration and a sense of loss. But the completed product, the fully laid out message defines a start, a middle and an ending. In that sense, all messages are alike, but what is said, what is communicated through music, dance, fashion and in my case word and visually, is completion.

Peace.