Moombeams of Joy

At the moment I am not experiencing much joy. There is a little stress in the air. Yesterday, my blog day, I was packing, hosting stray cats and people and meeting several major commitments…. My blog never came within range of my sonar. Neither did my studio. So why am I stressing? Yes, I am moving and my life is busy… so? I just read a book about having a peaceful heart “The Anatomy of Peace” from the Arbinger Society. The book suggests that I may be suffering from boxitis. One of my favorite boxes is “I must appear to be….” and the word I usually fill in is ‘competent’. The conclusion I might draw from that is I feel I have no control and every little error or moment of forgetfulness may result in a barrage of self-criticism and abuse. Last night, when I forgot my purse at the event we were attending, I called myself a couple of names. Sigh. Of course as soon as the anger and resentment bubbled up I knew I had entered the box. I have a friend who can see it coming and can sidestep the entrance… One of these days I will be able to do that. In the meantime I will take some time to forgive myself, love myself, breathe and let go. I do not have control and that is OK. This is the moment that counts and it will be pleasant because I choose to notice the beauty in it. Ah, joy! Thank you for visiting me again.

Words

So here is the mysterious creation I promised for this week. I am so enjoying the serendipitous nature of the new techniques I am pursuing. Beginning with random splatterings and multiple layers of colour separately applied, there is a glow that inspires the image. It is a calling. The painting dictates the direction; I follow. Every once in a while I allow my head to tweek the path. Occasionally I know better, most of the time I would have better spent my time following as before. Of course as a result of moving with the flow I find myself spending copious amounts of time just gazing. Gazing time is time well spent. It may not look like I am doing anything except sipping a warm cuppa yet in that moment of connection new vistas open wide, unpredictable solutions present themselves and adventurous risks beckon. Sometimes it is a challenge to gather the sufficient amount of courage to take the risk; once done the results are almost always spectacular. Here is the poem and the psalm that go with it:

Words of love dispell

malignancies. Let us change

our hearts, cure the world.

Nous avons la force

de créer le paradis.

Choisissons nos mots.

John 13:34-35

At an Angle

So…. My husband asks me, “Have you put out your blog yet?” I look at him and say, “It isn’t Monday, it doesn’t feel like Monday….” He says, “Yes, it is really the second Sunday of the week.” It is a good thing I appreciate his sense of humour even at this late hour of the day. I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving. It has been a very pleasant, relaxed day. I even raked leaves this afternoon. As for the photo, well, my daughter thought it would be a wonderful idea if she took my picture at an angle. Very dynamic. I agree and it adorns my facebook page as well as the contact page on my website. I will post the painting I am working on in the photo on the next blog. I have been working hard. Did you know there is a very good reason for long weekends? Unusually I work right through all the civic holidays, not this time. I needed a break so I took it. I so enjoy the freedom to come and go as I please. I have also reveled in the immense growth of my painting techniques since I started putting in eight hour days. A few other things have suffered such as housework and maintaining a presence on the internet and getting my new computer up and running… the sacrifices I make to be in the studio… Life is so good.

Floor Space

Puddling requires horizontal space. In my studio space is scarce. I have resorted to the floor. At this stage of the game, creating is a very fun game, I am following the promptings of the spirit. The six panels I had previously prepared are now all covered with ink and drippings of various colours. What a mess. Part way through I looked at my floor and I remembered how when I first laid down the interlocking carpet tiles I had this fleeting desire to keep it in pristine condition… J It is not quite there yet but eventually as the paint accumulates I may consider framing it too. In the meantime I took up the first panel to dry and laid it on the table. I stepped back and realized the under layer of gold shone so brightly I could not see the patterning well enough to decide where to go next. It is now on my easel, which means I emptied some floor space so I can back up to view the image more clearly. Backing up from my work is essential. With every addition there is a reaction to it in the surrounding colours and shapes. Before continuing in any direction I consider the effect the new bit of paint has created. It is truly an explore, like discovering a path in the jungle. So much fun! Life is good.