Monday, December 26, 2011

A Little Tied Up, 8x8


Every year about this time thoughts of how I'm going to make my life richer, more meaningful, and longer keep cropping up.  Like a built in early warning system these thoughts also happen in March, June and September whether I will them in or not.

My usual lists of 'to-dos' break down into the nagging concerns (clean the gutters, sort through those stacks of office papers, actually attach lights to those wires sticking out of the wall) to the ones that are more about guidance systems (meditate more regularly, exercise often, fear less and embrace more, be kinder).  Whether about meditation or stacks of papers they all keep showing up year after year regular as can be.

Perhaps it's the process of growing, not the accomplishments, that is most important in the end. 

Painting is like that.  As long as I focus on enjoying just putting down honest strokes of paint the product takes care of itself.   Life, like painting, seems to be just one small moment at a time. 'The Tao of Painting' should be a book if it isn't one already.

This painting is another I dug up out of the scrap pile, added a couple of strokes and now find it much more interesting for a very quick plein air study.

1 comment:

  1. Cousin -- You are an instrument for MY growth, too. I'm learning how to blog and to use this program. LOL. Love the painting and the blog -- I think one of the keys to healthy growth in life is also to be able to let go of some of the old explorations that now are familiar. Otherwise, one's life becomes filled with skills and stuff that want to be maintained, leaving little time for meditation, relaxation, etc. My New Years resolutions are as much about "out with the old" (but not people or dogs, of course) as they are "in with the new."

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