Thought for The Day - Prep Work, Changing Weather

...Suddenly the skies were clear, the winds died down and calmer days prevailed.

Yesterday, I scraped my palette for fifty-millionth time this year and then applied the same colors I have, also for the same number of times. I begin applying paint to "Linen, A Storm is Coming" and as I did so, I asked myself why was I doing it? Certainly, for a person like me, the work is never quite complete. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've sat in front of this canvas, or glanced at it over my shoulder as I worked on something else and thought "I could use a shot of silvery blue or orange here." Or thought "the mood in the sky needs to spread from one end to the next," but negated that idea with the sense of a transition over the length of it.

At some point, I did what I haven't in months; I took the painting off the easel. It kind of surprised me because it was just a day before I thought there was no need to rush to complete it. A large 30" x 40" canvas has been sitting in a corner, waiting for this moment and without a second thought, I reached for it, blew the cobwebs off it and placed it on the easel. There was a moment of anxiety, looking at the white canvas. Should I turn it so the 40" is vertical or horizontal? Am I working on the blue Orisha Yemaya or "Calming winds" (working title in both instances)?

After about an hour, the canvas was tinted red, my base coat and color. The storm was passed and the canvas lay length-wise, on the easel. The calm has returned...

I told a friend the other day that sometimes, God answers our prayers and yet we aren't happy because we were looking for his response to appear a certain way or with more flair... Sometimes drama and madness simply stop and we are so surprised at the transition, we aren't sure what to think...

Thought for The Day - Weather Conditions

You never know where the factors that spell your change will appear. Sitting in the office, in the cubicle you've occupied for 8 years, on the sofa, a familiar setting you could predict from your dreams; the conditions of our lives, like a "Groundhog Day." But...unexpectedly, a thought - no, not even that. An hunch or fleeting feeling, more like a sensation of a nerve ending firing a quick spasm. Months and years from now, you might be more aware of the next few minutes, than that sensation.

It's time for a change; you've known it for years. You might have settled into the status quo, the day-to-day activities where the only difference between you and the next guy is your house, your spouse and your skin. While your clothes are similar to your neighbor and friends, your soul sings a different tune.

Like an unpredictable rain storm, or in the case of Chicago, a surprise snow shower, your "change" shocks everyone; even family members didn't and wouldn't expect such a dramatic change! But change you must; it's in your blood and the only step you can take is forward.

But...

Don't wait for a twitching nerve ending. Don't look for a sign in the clouds or a message "from God." When you know, when it rides your every thought, make the change in you!

Thought for The Day - Passing the Time

More than fingers pointing in the middle of a circle
Or the numbers that change on your phone
It is what we do,
When we're doing nothing
When we're doing too much
And when we sleep

Time is a companion
Whose stark truth
Makes us regret
How much we've wasted
It's the enemy of romantic love
A moment
An hour
A day
Never enough
to say "I love you"
In new ways

Time does not move fast
But in relation to us
It's a tortoise
Whose shell we chase after
Especially
When it's time to go to the place we can't tolerate
EVERYDAY
It moves far too slow
When we're trying to get away from that same place
And when we allow it
It lingers and slows to an imperceptible pace
When we listen to a good tune

Time
A marker
An indicator
that we were here
And tomorrow we are there

Thought for The Day - Catching Up

(Working title) With a Twist - in progress 24 x 30 Oils

I think I got this from my dad, the sense of not "leading the pack" or "being the first on your block to buy _______!" Now, don't get me wrong, I really don't follow the crowds or wait to see "what's everyone else is doing," and I typically fume and brood over major decisions. I just need to know that the move I'm making is what's best for me and mine.

So now I'm thinking seriously considering this "art thing." When I think back to childhood, I can distinctly remember having concerns about what I would be when I grew up. Yes, I wanted to be an artist, but I wanted to have a business and I wanted to experiment on things. I think the last aspect, working Information Technology jobs has given me an "up to my eyeballs" experience in experimenting! For the last few years, I've gotten back to my love of art. And just like all major decisions, it seems like it's taking a long time to make up my mind about it.

What I would like is to spend my days creating art. The one aspect of this dream is that I feel like I need to remain connected to people, regularly and at one time, counseling was that channel. I wouldn't say I'm against counseling as a profession, but I am against anything that requires a "full-time" attention. The monotony of being somewhere, each day for 8 or more hours lays heavy on me. I love variety and love to be in control of my day.

So where am I in making a decision? Sitting on the fence, trying to figure out what and where else I can go. Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions.

Thought for The Day - Changes

Phoenix 18 x 24 pastels

How much of our updating, revamping, swapping out the old for the new, is external? How often do we 'change' and oh so fundamentally remain the same? If the constant changes in life leave us unchanged, then what does that say about our character? Is it a solid iron being incapable of changing?

We sit in a seat on our patio, watching the trees bud, the breeze moving the branches and twigs. The buds become leaves, green and full and the temperature warms up and the sun hangs in the sky longer, until we see shelter from it all. But soon the wind changes and the leaves as well; they become brown, orange and red and fall, leaving the trees bare once again. But in all the changes for the tree, it has grown; it's gained more branches, veins and it's trunk, thicker. Even if you trim the tree, it continues to grow fuller...funny how that happens.

Difficulty, hardship, struggle, even tragic loss has an effect on each of us. A person cannot remain innocent and unfettered by this world. Some say we should not operate from our 'ego,' instead from our heart and soul. But our ego serves to protect us, albeit, 'over-compensate,' at times. And yet, in the final analysis, we will have lived life as best we could, some epic fails and moments of pure ecstasy. And if remain open to the many lessons and experience life brings, we are as fluid as mercury and solid as an iron statue.

Peace

Be.