carriage house winter dec 08
Saturday, January 3, 2009 at 7:48AM 
I am glad we are on the other side of the holidays. It feels like a relief. I always feel a lot of pressure to have a meaningful experience because of all those x-mass TV specials I grew up watching. I think the highlight for me this year was seeing how happy Rose was to get an ipod from one of our attic apartment borders. Rose has wanted an ipod for a long time and we never had the courage to spend the cash. Our friend Rusty made it happen. He has decided to move to Alaska and is lightening his load. (It doesn't seem like the ipod would be much weight tho.)
I have been having some trouble keeping the carriage house warm enough lately. I get a fire going early in the morning and paint right next to the wood stove. I am wondering what effect it will have on the paintings when they are finished. The holidays made it harder to paint every day which made me feel a little weird. The ritual of painting, moving the piece forward a little each day is deeply satisfying. The process of creating these paintings makes me feel like I am living in the old days when getting some where far away took weeks or months because you were on foot or ridding by animal power. What effect did that slow travel have on the psyches of the traveler of that time? Did it make them more patient people of greater spiritual depth? I think it probably did.
The paintings I am working on now take a long time to fully develop and there is the constant fear of running out of money before we sell the next painting. I have to continually push aside that fear and simply continue my daily walk. This makes my life a walk of faith. The constant exercise of the faith muscles in-parts a greater potency to the finished paintings because of the heat of the personal fire they are forged in. And then it follows that the paintings eventually end up in a persons home or work environment silently emitting a radiant power that stimulates that place effecting all who come and go like a sort of spiritual radiation to heal and empower.
Come and feel the heat.
Reader Comments (2)
It's the middle of summer where I am (Australia) and I struggle to find ways to keep my studio cool enough to work! I too am relieved that the intensity of this season is ebbing. My husband and I also make our way as artists on a wing and a prayer. We also have a large family. Artists, all over the world taking one dogged faithful step after the other! I love checking in on your blog Rick, it heartens me to be reminded we are not so alone in these life choices.It's late now but tomorrow morning I am going out to my local park to draw some giant old fig trees.It's been a challenge I've been setting myself lately- to see if I can spend a whole day quietly drawing one old tree. It's been very humbling. Good luck with the painting and best wishes for a the delicate sproutings of this new year.
"dogged faithful steps" I like that. Thanks for stopping by and we would love to see pictures of your art, studio, and life some time. Do you use flickr?
Good luck and blessings to you for this new year!