I opened the YouTube site this morning in hopes of finding a suitable song for this Sunday morning’s musical interlude and it was right there, waiting for me in the recommended section. I began to listen to the song and opened my files to find an image that jibed with the song, at least as I was hearing it in the moment. I opened a file of images from several years back and the first one I looked at felt instantly like a match.
Sometimes things fall into place.
And I appreciate that because there are so many other times when everything is a struggle, when every decision seems clouded with doubt and every action feels out of rhythm. Slog is a word that comes to mind. Just the sound of the word brings to mind the effort required on those difficult days.
But these effortless days wash away all remnants of that word and feeling. I remember that the painting I chose, Only Now, shown at the top being done on such a day in the early days of 2012. It seemed to fall on to the canvas without much assistance or direction on my part. It needed to exist in that moment, needed to find its way into this world.
Needed to find its way home.
Interestingly, this painting has never found a permanent home in this world. It has been at the gallery that represents my work in California for several years now and the ease and freedom in it that makes it a personal favorite for me has never spoken loudly enough to someone who might give it a permanent home. which is not that unusual as some of the paintings that speak to me most personally are often the last to make their way to a new home. Maybe the void in these pieces that need to be filled by the viewer in order to complete them can only be filled by me.
We’ll see.
So this week’s song is fittingly titled Can’t Find My Way Home from Blind Faith back in 1969. Blind Faith, for you youngsters out there, was considered one of the first rock supergroups. The group was comprised of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech, all stars in big-name, established bands. They didn’t last long– one album and one tour– but they left a mark, including this song.
Give a listen and have yourself a good day.
Redtree Times 
I’ve never heard this album, but the song was driving me crazy. It sounded so much like “something,” but I couldn’t quite pin it down. I finally decided it was the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water. They both make for some fine listening.
I hadn’t thought of that possible connection but now that you mention it, I can definitely see where the Doobies might have appropriated some of the guitar lines here. It never hurts to borrow from Clapton.
The foreground looks like porcelain enamel jewelry, and I like your painting very much. I’ve heard that album, never developed a taste for Clapton or Winwood,, but it’s a memorable song, I like the Alison Krauss version.
Alison Krauss generally does great justice to any song she covers. Nice version.
I remember the album and the group. Loved the song when I first heard it on KLOL in Houston. I think I might like the Winwood/Clapton version from Crossroads 2007 just a little better… Just a bit.
I hope “Only Now” finds a home soon. It’s a nice world to contemplate for a spell.
Hi, Gary. I’m still partial to the original but that Crossroads version is really good. You can see and hear the comfort that comes from nearly 40 years of playing this song. Both Winwood and Clapton have probably played it thousands of time, to the point performing it is almost like breathing for them. That mature comfort level is really appealing in the 2007 version.