Imperfection clings to a person, and if they wait till they are brushed off entirely, they would spin for ever on their axis, advancing nowhere.
–Thomas Carlyle
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I was thinking early this morning about a comment made yesterday by Linda Leinen about how we go through life, starting fresh and clean, and progress as we absorb all that life deals out to us, leaving us somewhat scarred. It reminded me of the title of both a painting and a show that I did many years ago called Seeking Imperfection. It remains one of my favorite titles, probably because it best describes my own relationship with perfection.
I’ve always been somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of perfection or the search for it. Perfection is the antithesis of our humanity, at least in how I view it, and to seek it is to deny our imperfect natures. We are flawed and scarred characters in a world that is definitely not perfect except in those rare moments when all of these flaws coalesce into instances of harmony and beauty.
That’s kind of what I hope for and sometimes see in my paintings– harmony and beauty despite the inherent imperfections. I can find flaws in any of my paintings but I don’t cringe at the sight of them. Instead, they make me glad because in seeing them I recognize my connection to them, can see the struggle in trying to create these moments of harmony. A pit here, a dot of stray paint or a rough edge there, a bristle from a brush trapped in the paint– it all speaks to me, saying that it can be whole and harmonious- beautiful- despite the flaws. Perhaps not a bad way to view one’s life.
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The painting at the top, In the Rhythm of the Moment, is a 16″ by 18″ piece on paper which is also part of my upcoming show at the Just Looking Gallery in San Luis Obispo, CA, opening December 1.
Redtree Times 
ah, to reach a point that one embraces the flaws! some people would call that, ‘evolved.’
I don’t know about evolved. It’s just hard to not embrace those flaws when they make up such a large part of who I am.
i cannot think of a better word; ‘matured’ doesn’t fit with the mindset. for me, évolved’ does, as in evolving into a very grounded person… it’s a great calm no-nonsense place to be, though we get there by navigating through Life’s roadblocks and keeping honor intact. Si? Z
Once upon a time, I had a little painting done by a friend on a piece of pressboard. It was one of her earliest efforts – a winter scene with snow, farm buildings, and trees. There was a pretty little cardinal in one of the trees.
One day, I was telling her how much I liked the cardinal. She was puzzled, then laughed. “Oh,” she said. “That’s no cardinal. I dropped a bit of red paint and thought if I tried to remove it, I’d just make a mess, so I left it.”
😉
I love that story and have had a similar experience with one of my paintings. Do you still see it as a cardinal?
I’m glad you embrace your imperfections. So many artists tend to beat themselves up with them. Thereis a school of thought dating back to the ancient Greeks (myth of Arachne) that there should always be one imperfection left uncorrected “on purpose” because if there were no imperfections, the work would be perfect, and only God is perfect.
Besides being an affront to God, perfection is not too interesting, actually. There’s a coldness and sterility in perfection that keeps you from identifying yourself in it. That’s why I tend to view those who claim to be seeking perfection with a suspicious eye.