So, I am plowing through the usual morning email ads and got three things that all sort of bring it together today for me. I'm in the studio finishing up the binding on the Swamp Thang, and found the old full sized tripod in the bottom of the closet that I didn't know we even had, so I am all set to photograph it when it's officially finished. I'll make a little label, and roll it up and it is a done deal and ready to get sent back to Boston two days ahead of schedule. I'm at the point where not too much tragic can go wrong any more, though I shouldn't even say that because the 'Donabed Law' is in effect- it states simply that 'Murphy's Law Doesn't Know the Half of It'. So, I will get on with today's tasks, and hopefully free myself up this afternoon for some bathing suit shopping.
As if that's an incentive to finish, oy.
Part I
Robert Genn got me today, the edited version:
Perennial Puppy Syndrome
A few days ago a young bicycle courier brought his first five paintings around to my studio. "I'm not trying to get good," he said. "I just want to enjoy myself in my evenings after I get off the streets." We wondered together if it was possible to enjoy oneself as a painter without trying to get good.
During the past few decades biologists have been noticing changes in the behaviour of wolves. They're getting nicer. Not nearly as aggressive. Their ears no longer stand straight in anticipation of danger. Some researchers think they may be howling just for the fun of it. In captivity they can be trained to sleep with pussycats. Even in the wild, many wolves are now acting like your dog and mine.
Apparently, the same thing is happening to us. Many humans now choose to be tail-waggers. We've become domesticated. We're gentler. If you're an easy going, relaxed, fun-loving, non-competitive artist, you may be one of the breed.
An estimated forty million hobby painters propel the art-materials business. Like quilting, journaling, or maintaining an aquarium, folks just do it. Quality control may be a lesser aim. Marketing is a non-starter. These days, many artists mention goals of fulfillment and personal happiness over challenge and professionalism. The play's the game. ...Delayed maturity, in the traditional sense, is the result. ...The work, in Bernard Berenson's words, is simply "life enhancing." The downside may be chronic mediocrity, the effect of which can fan out through an entire culture. While teachers and workshoppers report daily discoveries of potential in beginners and hobbyists, many just stay put, ambition free, content to be out and about and part of a happy pack.
PS: "Ambition is made of sterner stuff." (William Shakespeare)
Esoterica: An artist may be a lone wolf. She may occasionally run with the pack. Most often she is happy foraging on her own. She may be wily and alert to opportunity. She may know that adventure can bring out her best. There are times when she's out for blood. There are also times when she's as playful as a puppy. |
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_________________________________________________________________________________Part II
Horror-scope, right between the eyes:
Expressing yourself in a creative way today can give you a wonderful feeling, even if you know that your satisfaction is fleeting. But it's not about producing a lasting work of art now; it's about doing something that reconnects you with a sense of contentment. Don't get distracted by waiting for approval from someone else. This one's for you.
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Part III
And this in my email this morning: Did you know Oscar the Grouch used to be orange? Jim Henson decided to make him green before the second season ofSesame Street. How did Oscar explain the color change? He said he'd gone on vacation to the very damp Swamp Mushy Muddy and he turned green overnight.
So. Here ya go, 'Swamp Mushy Muddy' in it's final state:
'Mangrove Swamp, Loxahatchee River', 50" X 50"
Whew.
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