I am in a real hurry this morning but wanted to at least share my Sunday morning song and I thought that my choice this week fit this particular painting very well. This painting, The Way of the Master, has spent a couple of years in Kuwait being displayed at the American Embassy there. When Ambassador Silliman’s appointment changed to being Ambassador to Iraq, the painting returned to me. It was a favorite of mine from the time I painted it and I was thrilled to have it back. It’s showing at the West End Gallery as part of my Self Determination show.
I am sharing what I wrote about this painting a few years back. The accompanying song is Tomorrow Never Knows from the Beatles, off their classic 1966 Revolver album. Give a listen and have a great Sunday.
***********************
“There is one single thread binding my way together…the way of the Master consists in doing one’s best…that is all.”
– Confucius
******************
I originally had a different title in mind for this new painting,which is 24″ by 36″ on canvas. I saw it as being about the end of a journey, about coming to a point that marked the highest level of emotional and spiritual development. But then I remembered this quote from Confucius and it had immediate resonance.
It all comes down to effort in the end. Everything that comes to us, everything we desire and value, ultimately depends on the amount of effort we choose to put forth. Things done half-heartedly and with little attention never prosper or develop. Those things you take for granted never grow into something more. They only diminish with less attention. You can witness this in every aspect of your life. I know I can see it in my own. Everything I value– my marriage, my work and my peace of mind– requires hard work and maintenance, my very best effort.
This full effort ultimately leads to a deeper sense of connection with those things we value, emotionally and spiritually, and I suppose that’s what this piece signifies for me. I believe that any thinking person wants to reach their highest point of development, wants mastery over their own physical and spiritual life. This painting reminds me that it is obtainable if I am willing to give my very best.
As Confucius says: and that is all.
*******************
Redtree Times 