I had intended to follow-up my “Artist Talk” post with a discussion of “Artist’s Block” but in thinking about where I am at the moment decided to change the topic name because it is not quite right. Now is a time when I am in a transitional place, not blocked just drifting. Having finished a number of paintings in the “Estratos Dinamica” series, I am at the point when drift is a good idea for me. How do I know it is time to drift? It is because painting ceases to be fun.There has been so much written about creative block, writer’s block and I am reminded that Chuck Close’s approach is to work, just work everyday not waiting for the illusive inspiration whatever that means. In my practice and for as long as I remember, I have never had artist’s block either. But that is not to say that everyday there comes from my brush, pencil, pen or other drawing tool work that I would show others unless to my close friends that is. When I reach one of the points when I don’t hurry to the studio to begin working on a series of paintings or drawings, I start to experiment asking myself “what if”? There are “what if”s” littering my studio as I write. What about combining this image with that one, what if I rip this image and reassemble, what if I totally destroy this image, why not use this very unusual hue combination, what if I make an oil painting. There are endless possibilities and I am asking and experimenting with no goal in mind. It is the practice, it is the working through, it is the working. I am practicing my craft. I am honing my skills. I am trying to see with new eyes.

Everything is my subject right now and either with my drawing tools, iPhone, or camera I am literally looking at everything, photographing anything that comes to my attention. I’m look at puddles in the driveway, the cinder block building I see from my windows, lichen on the tree where I park; the most mundane and interesting objects (to me) in my path become fascinating for absolutely no reason at all. Texture is everywhere and I like to see it, feel it, capture it, take it with me. I have no expectations but I know from so many years of experience that soon I will begin again to paint and I will have new eyes. Once the time is right I will know to begin again. The strange thing is that the series will seemingly continue as if it had not been interrupted and I will probably be the only one who will see any difference but there will be one and it will be significant.