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Thursday, January 20, 2011

I Can Feel a Painting Coming On!

After a long absence from the easel and from this blog I'm probably no closer to picking up the paintbrushes again, although the enforced absence does serve a useful purpose in strengthening my resolve to do so as soon as I'm able (or under-employed once again!).

I'm not entirely without free time, but from experience I know that grabbing ten minutes here or an hour there just doesn't lend itself to successful artistic endeavours; strangely, I've noticed in the past that I can be an hour or more into a painting session before I feel the creative gears in my brain engage.

With work having taken precedence over the past few months, I've become aware that I reflect with increasing frequency on what it takes to feel whole, and on the impact a denial of who I am at my core has on my sense of well-being. Perhaps it's that I'm on the wrong side of 50, but striving to be my authentic self takes on new importance as I contemplate my life's direction and the forces that influence it - not all of which I have control over. Ultimately, I know that to be truly happy I need not only to be creating, but to be surrounded by creative people from whom I can draw inspiration. Until my circumstances change, the best I can manage in that regard is to keep tabs on the various blogs I follow in an effort to somehow remain connected to their authors, and to our common goals.

I can feel a painting coming on!

Cheers
Pete

7 comments:

Erik van Elven said...

It good to see you posting again at least Peter, that's a start.
Maybe you should start with some sketches in pencil, just to get the juices flowing a little again. And before you start say out loud: This is just a sketch! (I got that from Antti Rautiola)
So, see you around Peter!

john said...

Dude, I thought you got eaten by a Great White or something. During the times in my life when I had to get a real job in order to make ends meet, I could not stay healthy for any length of time. Not painting slowly brought me down, physically and mentally. One thing that helped was to devote a day, or a half day for painting. Even if it was only once every week or two. I really look forward to seeing some new stuff from you. Good Luck.

Peter Brown said...

Erik, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the tip!

John, yes, I definitely need to break out of my routine and rearrange my week a little to make time for painting.

Lynda Schumacher said...

Well, I must say.....I'm glad to read this post. Do I sense a restlessness to get started? (I recognize it.) I'm truly looking forward to seeing what you will produce......but no pressure! : )

Peter Brown said...

Lynda, thanks for dropping in. Feel free to exert as much pressure as you think necessary - I need a kick up the rear end occasionally to get me started!

Colette Theriault said...

Nice to see you blogging again Peter! When I feel the need to paint or draw but can't seem to get going for whatever reason, (lack of time, motivation, other projects...) I move to much smaller size canvas. This seems to give me the push and desire to start a new piece without having the pressure to commit to something much larger since the smaller work advances so much more quickly. Hope this helps! Colette

Peter Brown said...

Colette, nice to hear from you. I have a fairly large painting in mind next, but you're right, mixing it up with some smaller pieces makes a lot of sense.