Yesterday was the best day I’ve had painting in the past few weeks. The holidays and the distractions they provide had really knocked me out of rhythm and I’ve been struggling to get back on the path. I think this has probably been evident in the writing on this blog. Writing for this is a real chore when I fall out of my painting routine. I find myself struggling for things to say and words to express anything. The writing rhythm is definitely entwined with my painting rhythm.
But yesterday was good in the studio so I’m hoping to see some improvement here, even though I view this writing and my painting as very separate and different entities. I’ve always viewed writing as being an expression of what the writer knows and sees. On the other hand, painting to me is about expressing what I feel but don’t know and am incapable of expressing otherwise. Painting is more about intuition and the intangible for me.
Not to say that intuition and intangibles don’t play an important role in writing. But I can’t find them as effortlessly in writing as I can with a slash of color here or in the way a form plays off another in my painting. I don’t have to fill in detail, don’t have to create a whole scenario for my work to communicate.
I think that’s the distinction between the two forms. With writing, I must know what I am trying to communicate. With painting, I can communicate without knowing. In fact, it is preferable that I don’t know. The work that comes without trying to direct it is usually the best, graceful and filled with emotion. I don’t see that happening with my writing.
So, I must get back to the paints and gain a bit more rhythm, let the momentum carry me ahead. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Redtree Times 