Thought for The Day - Contemplating

I love a good story! I love when the author takes time to present at least his primary character with relationships across several layers of complexity. An example is a man who is married (relationship 1), has a best friend (relationship 2) and regularly talks with the waitress in his favorite diner (relationship 3). Actually, that isn't that complex, but the idea I'm 'trying' to get at, is our lives have multiple connections; some intersect, others seem to exist in a vacuum that are separate from everything else.

I love staring at a painting. Whether abstract, portrait or something expressionist, there is a story behind it. Oh, it may not be a story where man meets woman, falls in love and they end in divorce, but there is a story. I find myself, whether it's my work or someone else, sitting and looking for a length of time, trying to determine what direction the piece is going.

Now, even with my work, the 'path' isn't always clear. Sometimes it takes some time to determine where a piece or series is headed and where it should go. Even with portraits, I am usually inspired by a facial expression or a part of someone's body that sticks in my mind. Simply concentrating on the position of neck and shoulders, the curve as the neck connects into the shoulder...simply taking time to see the story lines running beneath that connection...

Contemplating; simply staring, wondering, imagining, surmising.