When I began my book about my brother Mike*, I sought advice from other artists and writers. One of my teachers asked me whether my book was to be a window or a mirror. That was difficult to answer. If my book were to be a window, it would tell my brother’s story objectively. If […]
Cleaning I haven’t been to the dentist in a while. It is such an embarrassment. The longer I don’t go, the more embarrassing it is. Dentists are very nice about it, at least the ones I’ve been to see over the decades. When I was I kid I never had novocaine. I’ve walked away from […]
I have been entertaining the idea that writing and painting involve similar processes. This is how I see my process, of late. I understand that not everyone sees these two art forms this way. There are probably painters who do not have any preconceived ideas of what their paintings mean, or any idea of what they mean once […]
I have posted daily watercolor experiments for quite a while now. Sometimes I get inspiration from a previous post. It becomes fodder for my next blog entry. However, I feel a bit lost today. Writing For more than a week, I have been writing in a disciplined manner: no less than 15 minute sessions, at […]
Have you ever seen a chain smoker light a cigarette from the one he is just finishing? I am doing the equivalent with my blog. Yesterday I was trying to explain the thought process I use when I am painting. This is unsettled territory for me. My process has changed significantly from when I began; even […]
I want to be a better writer. I dusted of some of the writing books I bought years ago and reacquainted myself with the basics. The first one I looked at was Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg. Even though the book is 30 years old, the advice is still fresh. She recommends that the […]
Creative process – visual and written In a previous post I considered the difference between painting and writing and wondered how each process differed. Each artist, writer or painter, has his or her own process. Some have been generous enough to share. For example, Paul Klee, in addition to diaries and notes about his work, wrote […]
Yesterday’s post turned out to be more of a “Dear Diary” entry than I had intended. I should have waited an appropriate period to process my time with Mom rather than writing from the midst of the experience. Who wants to read a laundry list of the day’s events? That’s what journal notes are for: a […]
Words actually can express practically anything. But one must have an understanding and some kind of formulation of ideas to be expressed. What happens when there are conflicting thoughts and feelings? One way to manage is to express all sides to the conflict and calculate pros and cons of each position. But even so, the […]
