effortless mastery

My new year has begun with a new orientation toward cello practice that may also apply to painting. I have been doing little of the latter since returning from Spain: The arrival of winter temperatures led to the discovery that the heater in my studio did not work, and when it is below freezing in the day, and often below zero at night, a space heater won't do the trick. A temporary repair last week is keeping the room comfortable now.

I haven't settled back into a painting routine yet. My last cello lesson of 2010, however, led to a shift in perspective about how I approach playing, and although I am barely beginning to put it into practice, it is clear that there are implications beyond the cello.  Quite possibly to everyday life, in fact....

It is hard to label the change I am trying to make, since all of the phrases that occur to me are already in use and mean other things. Bonnie and I dubbed it "effortless mastery," although it might also be called "relaxed awareness."  The former term has already been coined with relation to performance art, and is not the same as my concern.  The latter term is familiar to anyone practicing yoga asanas, and is closer.  The goal is a physical one: am I making more effort than is needed to play? Is my jaw clenched? (Usually, yes.) Are my shoulders tense? (Usually, yes.)  Obviously, some physical effort is necessary to create sound from the instrument, but I have well-entrenched habits of tension that at this point are impeding beautiful playing, which has a flow that is ... well, effortless.  The goal is to play accurately and expressively, with no hesitations, and with no more effort than is required.  Relaxed mastery, perhaps.

The focus is simply on letting go of physical tension that impedes the flow of energy.  A very dance-related concept.   The application in the studio is not as clear -- yet -- as it is in cello practice, but I do think that it exists.  The aches in my shoulders and hands after a long painting session are evidence of muscles held in tension unnecessarily, and I am intuitively sure that were I to release that tension, energy would flow more freely.  More on this in the days to come.

The image above is a current piece, 12"x12", as yet unfinished, though I think it is close.  It speaks to me of cliffs and clouds and sandstone arches.