Pursuing the Light– Now at the West End Gallery
Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that we have caught happiness without dreaming of it.
–Nathaniel Hawthorne
I often see the boat paintings not so much as being concerned with sailing as being about the pursuit of something. It can be the tangible– new places, new people, riches, or sanctuary from the bonds of the past– or it can be the intangible, such as a quest for knowledge or the spiritual.
It is never about the pursuit of happiness because we understand by now, from the words of Hawthorne and so many others, that happiness is not a thing in and of itself to be pursued. It is a mere by-product that comes from one attaining certain elements in their life such as love, security, satisfaction, a sense of purpose, and probably a thousand other factors.
The list is incomplete because it no doubt varies to some degree for each of us. Also, because I am no expert on what constitutes a full and complete life. I am just throwing stuff out here as I am, like those sailors on those boats in these paintings, still largely in pursuit of something.
Some days I think I know what it is I am seeking, and it seems to loom on the horizon, almost near enough to reach soon. And on others, I am lost at sea, being thrown about by wild waves and holding on for my life.
But I remain afloat, still pursuing the light. And that is a good thing in itself.
Here’s song that came across the Pandora channel I was listening to this morning. It’s a song called Don’t Rock the Boat from a British duo called Skeewiff. They are, in their own words, an electronic breakbeat act that includes elements of jazz, lounge and big band music into their style. Electro-Swing?
Whatever it might be, they produce a variety of interesting instrumental sounds that have found their way into many films, TV shows and video games. It’s not exactly the style of music I normally choose to share here but this track really caught my ear this morning. It’s a remix of their sound with the original recording of the gospel song Don’t Rock the Boat by the gospel group The Charioteers from sometimes around the 1940’s or early 50’s.
I found myself listening to it several times this morning it and thought it might go well with the new painting at the top, Pursuing the Light. Give a listen if you are so inclined.
Redtree Times 