Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Clearly, I need a studio...

Here it is, months after my last posted painting. Although I've done a few studies (unfinished), my resolution to paint more has mostly fallen by the wayside. I do have a better idea now of why it seems so difficult to get to the easel. I just can't concentrate well on painting with my "studio" right in the middle of my living space. There are just too many undone household tasks constantly  beckoning, and too many interruptions. And while painting, I'm distracted by worries about getting paint on my off-white sofa. Of course, there's also the problem of spreading myself way too thin, which I'm also trying to work on. It's hard to say no to things I really would like to do, but I have to draw the line someplace.

Although the circumstances are different, I'm reminded of Virginia Wolff's, A Room of One's Own. I would so love to have an away-from-home studio where it was just me, my easel, paints and canvas. I'm trying to explore ways to make that happen, but in the meantime, here's a poem. This is something I just uncovered while cleaning out some old files. I wrote it many years ago, in a time of great turmoil. I can see my own effort to reach down into my inner well of resiliance here...

Creativity

The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will dance across the  midnight sky,
   the stars my only foothold.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will form worlds of words,
   and whisper wishes into reality.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will spin a million memories
   into a silky cocoon of safety.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
  I will spread my arms into the universe,
  with the force of dreams as my shield.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will streak the lake with morning nacre
   to reflect the power of my heart.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will build my house with clay and tears,
   inviolate against the storm.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!
   I will forge the chimera of disillusionment
   into a sparkling amulet of hope.
The Big Bang ain't got nothing on me!

Still needs work...