Thought for The Day - Intention

Moving forward

Forward motion...

Incremental. A pace so slow it feels and is perceived to be nil. But desire in your heart moves you forward. The angst in your soul, disgust with life "as is" says "try." Oh but sometimes, that soul-deep plea is barely heard, you might mistake it for someone else's voice. But guess what? You're listening for...something...anything to move forward.

Abandoned; friends and family don't get it. They want you safe...Y-O-U wants you safe and comfortable!!! But there is so little comfort where you are at this moment, you have to go forward.

And sometimes, you go forward in the dark; there is no light around you at the moment. You've come so far, the safety behind you is out of sight. Don't turn back, keep your eyes fixed ahead of you.

There are times certainty is gone and the only thing remaining is the constant beat of your heart; nothing else. And that can be a lonely sound.

Sorry your path is not as certain as that of, say an accountant or the kid who discovered at 12 years old, that she was a basketball phenom. Everything seemed to move into place and it was only "natural" they go into their chosen careers. No, you had pitfalls, listened to "good intentioned PLAN B's" and took so many detours you question your desire to be _________.  But move forward.

At some point, the practice of moving, the routine of getting "something done" gets in your bones. And before you know it, there's a pattern to your pitter-patter, a glide in your step you didn't know existed. And before you know it, others notice it as well. Slowly 'it' makes sense, the path you're on and why it has been so hard.

Keep going...the journey stretches on.

Thought for The Day - The Eyes

...Of the Beholder 18 x 24 pastels

…Of The Beholder

In the eyes of the beholder

There is beauty before them

But in the eyes of the beautiful

What is seen

Behind the eyes of true beauty

What thoughts go unseen

What mysteries and decisions

Are hidden behind those beautiful eyes

In the eyes of the beholder

Eyes, face, neck and body

Are wonderful to behold

But behind the eyes of the beauty

A world unknown

Though traces slip out

Made concrete

Yet the eyes

That mind

Are shrouded in the mystical

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 - (in process)

Linen (in process - a snippet) 30 x 40 Oils

Nice title; usually I include in parenthetical words: "in process" when I display something I'm still working on. There are times when I display work I've completed, but the joy of having this digital format is I can capture a snippet of the image as it is being developed, and share it in this outlet. I get to share the journey of my work with you.

I'm "in process;" I woke this morning and lay in bed for another thirty minutes, my normal routine of rising early and getting to the gym, broken by "another fall." I'm recuperating and trying not to worry about the falling too much. But as part of my "processing," I have to consider what occurs in the physical, determine if there is a spiritual correlation and if so, what the "breaking, falling and pain" mean in my life. Lying there, I prayed about the significance of my life. I'm a dreamer and have always been. I've always felt like my life had a bigger purpose and praying about it, I recalled hearing clips of Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches played on a local AM radio station between segments. I remember from childhood to young adulthood, hearing those snippets and feeling like his words not only meant something for me, but were there to spur me to my own mission. But I also remembered that at some point, because "nothing was happening" I stilled the stirring emotions. I ignored the light that shines in my soul. Actually, in so many ways, I've done this and in truth, at any given moment, I could do the same again. However, I have to admit, that in so many ways, I know I'm "in process" and much closer to that larger significance than I want to believe.

Being "in process" doesn't mean that once I'm "done," that's all there is to it. No, it's actually like leaving one room and entering into another, leaving one country and passing into another. There remains more work to do and more challenges. All I can do is keep moving.

Thought for The Day - Ship it!

Linen (in process) 30 x 40 oils

Always changing, always moving from "this" to "that." Not really sure where this road leads...

There are times when I feel like I can "taste" the life I want to live. I see it in the words I write, the images I render and those I relate to. It's the life that is both "giving and receiving," an exchange that's near endless and not necessarily self-serving. Day-to-day, I feel like I'm getting closer.

It's been said that I'm probably closer to "production" than I know. I have plenty of work, paintings and drawings in stacks. I've got the work of writing and the art of listening and encouraging. And yet, here I am, waiting for?

I won't give up; I believe the "shipment" date is coming.

Thought for The Day - Uh, Maybe I Don't "Got This"

I start the process, a blank surface in front of me and at times, as blank a surface in my head. No preconceived notion just waiting to be released, but my surrendering to the process. And at times, what comes as a result is what you see in this forum. All too often, in between the times I render, while sitting in this space, I think "what is it Im trying to do?" I examine the lines and colors and how it twists. Like a person riding along in a car seeing faces and horse and elephants in the clouds, I concentrate on the shapes and try to see the same. But like a mature artist, I try to find the storyline in the images as well. All life is full of stories and histories and biographies; we live them out everyday, though we don't realize our story is being unfolded, day-by-day, from dilemma to resolution.

There are times when I "know" which way I want to go, what direction I want the painting or drawing to go. And on rarer occasions, I'm able to complete the piece as I saw it in my head. But all too often, the colors and patterns laid down, change and realign into something I didn't expect. In this moment, I have to say "thank God for allowing me to get back to art at this point in my life!" If I were younger, I would be thoroughly discouraged that things weren't working as I think they should! Oh believe me, it's frustrating, but life experience, a lifetime of disappointments and learning the lesson behind them, allows me to be patient. And yes, over time, "things work out."

This art "work," the creative process is full of twist and turns, I'm not always sure where I'm going. But I'm sure if I keep on the path, I'll get to where I should be soon.

Thought for The Day - I Know What I'm Doing!

Linen - with a little swirl (in process) 24 x 30 Oil painting

...You may not know, but I do!

What's in an artist's mind is probably not much different from yours. Desires, longing, and even expressions are fairly universal. But what is different is how those feelings are communicated. In the latest (in progress) piece, the idea is "Linen - a little swirl." The idea, as well as the image, in still in progress and when it is finished, perhaps, the thought will be complete. But the process remains a very "cerebral" concept.

Linen, as in bed linens; something about that expanse of space where we lie down at night. That space where two come together for sleeping and comfort and love. It can be a large space, like North America, with two countries  blended in one. Or it can be like two countries separated by a desert. In any case, the landscape is filled with dips and valleys and mounds and high places. It's like the sands of the desert, where change is certain; the landscape you saw last night is not what you will see today. This is the concept for this current piece. It is part of a series.

Now, knowing what I'm doing, where I want to go doesn't make the journey easy. I could probably get 'there' much faster without the layers of paint and another media. But between my ears, that path is long and filled with pitfalls and twists; there is no shortcut. So, when I render, I have to allow myself time to work out the details. And from one piece in a series to another, from series to another, I have to allow those thoughts, those steps to manifest. Whether you are patient, interested or not, I have to allow myself this journey.