3/27/2011
So far, no word that either of my paintings have been sold....
Today is sunny, windy and even though the temp is a few degrees abaout freezing, it feels as if it's a few degrees below. My space heater is turned somewhat higher than usual. I'm bundled up in all kinds of warm clothing, Fat Albert & his hot computer-frying butt is sleeping in my lap, still, I feel cold. It's the wind, I'm sure; it's a stiff Wind & penetrating. Well, it is March and March is known for wind, so here we are.... Wind. Did I mention that the sun was nice? And the spring shadows crossing the back yard? And how glad I am to see the last of the snow?
I drove by the farm yesterday on my way to my mom's for lunch. Spring is coming to the farm. 2 weeks ago, snow covered the fields and the orchards seemed to still be sleeping. Yesterday, barely a trace of snow and the monotonous grays and tinted gray-whites have been replaced by fields of monotonous Yellow Ochre and barely-there hints of green. Something puzzled me about the appearance of the orchard against the sky and closest to the road until it suddenly dawned on me that the trees had all been pruned in the 2 weeks since I've been there -- that's why they looked so breathtaking stark against the sky & even more sculpted than usual. The trees were furry with suckers all fall and winter but by yesterday, all the suckers had been removed, stacked in neat and orderly piles at the base of each tree. A massive bonsai project....
Yesterday was a day much like today; similar sun, temp and wind. I stopped by the side of the orchard on my way home but only for a photo op. The wind was chilly & penetrating yesterday, as well. I'm eager to be able to get back to painting outside but it's not quite time.
While I was photographing I was thinking about what it was I wanted from what it was I was seeing; that's the only note-taking I did. As I photographed I thought about Composition and all the Scales & Tools I've been taught to use since way back when. I tried to store as much of the thought as possible in my all too mortal memory bank. The photograph that struck my fancy as having Compositional interest, that might be fun and convey some Personal/Universal meaning to which we can all relate, was this one I've been working on all morning. Yesterday, while arranging the image in my mind for a photo, I also thought about how I could eventually arrange the image to fit on a piece of WC paper and then make that into a painting for my calendar; what did I want it to say to others about us and our experience of Spring and Orchards and our Sensations and how do I go about doing that given the parameters/boundaries that are mine to deal with. And so on....
This morning, after reading the news on the Internet and writing/venting/responding....the last word I typed was OUTRAGED!!!! -- in the Comment box, my thoughts on a disturbing article about how people on Social Security can't expect a Cost of Living increase any time soon -- if ever, I turned my attention to taking the 1st steps to planning my next painting for my calendar. It was a good step to take and a really good thing that I had all that thought about the image stored in my memory and that there's much I can do to begin a painting without even thinking about it. My mind was wild from having read any of the news, never-mind that one article. The moment I got out the graph paper, ruler, pencil -- the Tools -- my mind and blood pressure began to settle down as my hand and pencil drew lines and shapes on a grid. Soon, the world of News and woes slipped away.
This morning's work was a good Meditation. After a few hours of work on this drawing, my mind felt peaceful, orderly -- calm. This is one of the most wonderful things that happens for me when engaged in a Drawing. Meditation. I endorse highly the practice of the Art of Drawing.
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v. med·i·tat·ed, med·i·tat·ing, med·i·tates
1. To reflect on; contemplate.
2. To plan in the mind; intend: (meditated a visit to her daughter....)
Buddhism & Hinduism To train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object.
To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer.
To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.
Latin: meditatio : practice, preparation, getting ready / consideration, pondering....
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