A Room of One's Own

I have had the privilege of working in a cabin in the woods in northwest North Carolina. Besides the fact that it is freezing here, I have been reading (Atlas Shrugged), walking with Zoe the dog, and doing art. I have not watched TV one bit - though I do have internet.

It has been amazing just to kick back, listen to music (strangely, Pink Floyd and not so strangely, Cowboy Junkies have been the go to soundtrack) and draw until early morning. I have been very happy that this has slipped into an easy habit as I have always wanted to do this and feared that procrastination would set it. But alas, it has not and I have done some great work. The picture above is a reaction to the surrounding landscape and the thought "How would Jackson Pollack respond to Buddhism?". Jackson Pollack's Blue Poles is the basic inspiration but it really takes his concept of wrist flicking paint to jazz and pulls it back to deliberate chaos. As I walk through these woods and think about my walks back in Austin, TX, I see things as a whole and I see things in parts. This work I have been doing reflects those walks, those disparate thoughts and all of the feelings of just letting go and being. I am not a Buddhist but I use this and Hindu imagery because it feels like meditation. Though to be honest, this work is almost opposite cos my mind wanders and the thoughts come and I let them. Meditation is too restrictive for me and a little too dogmatic for my tastes - as religion is for me as well. That said, I find that this place that I go to in order to create is like religion.

Now, if I can answer the question of "what is art?" or even "who is John Galt?" I may be onto something. In the meantime, know that I am making compisitional decisions, the works are deliberate and are not as mindless as they can seem. I like creating a beautiful peace of work and I love thinking of the leaves in the wind, the smell of the earth and the feel of the sun. These pieces have that for me so I will move forward with that thought and enjoy what I am doing.