A Thought

My good friend, the great artist Sam Paonessa sent me this kind of funny candid photo from our painting expedition in Bon Echo Park.  I was in the company of some amazing plein air oil painters including Karen Fox, Harvey Walker, John Stuart Pryce, Shelly Burke and Frank A. Edwards. There was absolutely no sense of competition, but I wanted to produce something strong.  Instead, I painted two real stinkers, which I've just finished painting over here in the studio.

Nonetheless, this is my thank you note to Sam:

Thanks for the info and the great photo. I look like I'm painting while listening to classical music.

Proves that even when you're struggling, as I was that day, painting takes you to a strange, joyful and even spiritual place.

Interestingly, today's Robert Genn letter is most relevant and points directly to why I failed in Bon Echo.

To what degree do we pay attention to our progress and to what degree do we just let it flow? My observation has been that there are times to give it thought and other times when thought may be dangerous. Most of us have noticed how too much thinking can lead to poor or contrived work. Many of my outright failures have occurred when I wanted so badly to succeed, brought every brain cell to bear and fell down miserably. It makes you realize that something other than the cerebral cortex is necessary. Consider the centipede. If this lowly being paused for only a moment to determine which foot to move forward next, it would undoubtedly stumble. The centipede has rhythm and flow in its hundred legs precisely because it does not have to think about it. Consider this the next time you move the instruments of your art. At what point in the act of art does a natural power or a mysterious intuition seem to guide and generate excellence? Among the artists I know, admire and compete with, I've noticed the following: They understand the basics. They train themselves. They perfect the details and trivialities of what they do. They master their stances and their strategies. Then they put their heads down, close out the crowd and let it flow. Balancing your calculating brain and your intuitive flow is an easy dream and a difficult task. I think it's one of the true miracles.

PS: "No artist is pleased. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." (Martha Graham) Esoterica: "We need to be willing to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly." "Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness. (Shakti Gawain) Developing Intuition by Shakti Gawain is a convenient workbook for people who want to increase their intuitive ability. Gawain outlines methods of accessing the power, how to act on whatever surfaces and suggests exercises for accurately discovering your passions. This letter was originally published as "The Intuitive Flow" on February 11th, 2000.