Another new painting for my show, New Days, that opens next Thursday, Jully 22, at the West End Gallery in Corning. this piece is titled All Is Given and is 12″ by 12″ on paper. This piece, for me, is like comfort food. The color and the way it comes together as a composition has a very soothing effect and there is a real harmony in the deep greens and blues that shines through here.
Even the fact that there is motion in the central figure of the tree doesn’t detract from this peaceful feeling. The giving of leaves to the wind by the tree seems natural and there is no remorse over the loss. It is all just part of existing in nature. Just being and not reacting. Accepting what is and what cannot be.
It’s one of those pieces where, when done, I feel a great sense of satisfaction. As though I’ve hit my mark, reaching some undefined, hazy goal that is known only by reaching it. That’s hard to explain. I don’t have specific endpoints when I’m painting. There is seldom, if ever, a fully realized image in my mind when I start painting. It’s more of a shifting amorphous mass of color and with no specific shape or imagery. I just hope that when I’m painting I can somehow capture the essence of this idea or whatever it is. Sometimes it is revealed and other times, something different emerges which is a discovery in itself that is quite unlike what I felt in my mind at the beginning of the painting.
See? Hard to explain.
Redtree Times 
I’ve never thought of words as brushstrokes, but that’s what I’m thinking now.
I suppose I’d need a different approach if I were attempting a big project, like a novel. But for my blogs, the process you describe is a good analogy. I begin with a title, a first or last sentence, or sometimes a really good paragraph. I have a “sense” of where I want to go, but no outline.
I start writing, and sentences and phrases start putting themselves together. And by golly, when it’s done, I know it. There’s no need for fussing or revising – it’s become what it’s supposed to be. That’s the part I understand – hitting the mark, recognizing the goal by reaching it.
And sometimes there’s complete surprise. I’ve had a few final paragraphs or sentences that have left me thinking, “Where did that come from?”
There’s no doubt – the creative process is as interesting as the created object.
That’s really interesting. I’ve never been able to achieve the same sensation, the same spontaneity and rhythm, with the written word. It’s much more of a struggle for me to find the words, much more difficult than a visual gesture on a surface. That much be a great feeling…