a thousand thoughts

Eleven quietly eventful weeks have passed since I last wrote. The gap reflects a period of a lot of activity, some of which has been typical summer busy-ness: house guests, fishing trips, gardening, community festivals. It also has been an active time artistically. I have been painting regularly, and have continued to explore not only the cold wax medium but also what I want to say with it. And I made some fundamental changes in the mechanics of my cello playing, and have discovered new levels of expression as a result.

On another, more internal, level, some changes have happened and are still happening that I sense will have an effect on my painting. I am meditating regularly, exploring awareness, and this brings with it a sense of peace and inner unity. I have had deeper and more substantive conversations with friends and acquaintances than I can remember having before. I have found new friendships. I have a new awareness of my own values, and I've lost some old fears. Nothing dramatic, just an interesting progression of new aspects of life.

In addition, I turned 60 yesterday. Age has never meant much to me, but the number 60 is such a singular number, and so much has been happening in my life, that the day almost seems to be some kind of marker. Four days from now, I leave for a week of concentrated cold wax work in Wisconsin, and opportunity beckons. As always during such times of growth, the impulse to record it in words has returned, and I am grateful for this space in which to explore it all.

The painting above, "Sandstone Pathways", 20" x 20", was the result of a lengthy and fairly thoughtful process and now hangs in Gallery 24. I like the painting, objectively speaking, but it is not what I want to paint about. I am tired of futzing around and being afraid of addressing cliffs;  I think it is time to take the next painting step.