Day 15

Definitely out of the slump. Setting a larger daily goal is bringing larger results. Already sketched plein aire (outside) for an hour, and ready to dive into the paints with several projects in mind for the next several hours A pastel sketch done while sitting on a bench at Surf Drive Beach, looking south toward Nobska (at left - 4" x 6") The wind is blowing somewhere between 20 and 30 mph. Was exhilirating to sit there and not only see it all but feel it, too. And working with pastels, my prevailing thought is... that the business of making art is quite a messy business. Pastel dust covers my hands, and now my cell phone. Paint drips on the floor (yes, I use a drop cloth) and spatters onto my stereo speakers. Messy, old clothes are a requirement, not a fashion statement. My car is always full of odd assortments of things. I continually strive for more organization and "clean" but it just doesn't quite get there as I'd like it to. Quite simply, making art requires "stuff." And so I am surrounded by my stuff. Having spent the past six months tossing and sorting in the midst of moving, I like to think that I've significantly lightened my load and simplified, but I am accepting that I will likely never quite live up to the standards some others might set. Yes, I will put out the trash on a regular basis, and clean out the refrigerator, and keep my bathroom hygienically safe. I will vaccum the rugs periodically, and keep the litter box clean. But there will also likely always be piles of books (I can't read just one at a time. Just doesn't happen.) And dog and cat fur dust bunnies. And canvases with unfinished paintings still, at least theoretically, in process. Some call it bohemian. I call it "real life." When I leave this earth, I hope that for whoever has to sort through my "stuff" there are smiles, not frowns, for it will be the tangible evidence of the joy that I am experiencing each and every day, through painting, music, reading, playing with the animals. A blessed life to be certain. Thanks be to God. xo