More New Paintings

 I've been pretty busy with painting this year. I've also been reading some of the classics I had never read: War and Peace and Don Quixote. I'm actually still reading the latter (close to finishing it). But painting is where I spend most of my free time. I'm still primarily an abstract painter, though I occasionally work more realistically.

                        "Shimmers" (9x12 inches)

                                                      It's listed on Etsy for a better view of it. 

                                                     Untitled (9x12 inches)

Abstract art is not for everyone, but for those who like it, which is still millions of people, abstract art speaks to them through color, shape, and design, and, perhaps, through emotions. How all that works together is difficult to explain. For me, knowing when a painting is finished is usually intuitive, a realization that it works (for me) and there is nothing more to do, and, obviously, I like it.

                                                            "2084" (11x14 inches)

                        This painting made me think of the novel 1984. You can view it better on Etsy.

Of course, I've done more paintings and have many more to do. I hope you're doing what you enjoy doing, whether it's gardening or writing or painting or music. 

"I Ching Symphony": Spiritual Music

 I recently listened to the I Ching Symphony composed by Frank Steiner Jr. I had not listened to it in probably twelve to fifteen years. It is one of the most beautiful symphonies I have ever heard. I'm transported to another realm of existence when I listen to it. I had not listened to it for all that time, because it had been an integral part of my writing my novel The Sendoff. When I was writing the novel, I used to listen to the symphony every night when I went to bed. I put my headphones on and listened to the symphony as I drifted off to sleep. The next to the last movement of the symphony was/is, in my mind, an integral part of the last chapter of the novel. I would imagine the last chapter playing out, and the music of the next to the last movement of the symphony helped transport the character Mitchell to his destination. The music was perfect for that chapter. So, listening to it while I was painting today, I was once again transported to a miraculous state of mind. If you get a chance to listen to the I Ching Symphony, I hope you have the same kind of experience.

I Ching Symphony

The Sendoff

My Painting Journey As Of Today

I've been painting pretty seriously for five or six years now, maybe longer,  (I did go about a year during that time when I didn't paint at all). I started painting again after that hiatus when I took a trip to Washington, D.C. and visited the National Gallery of Art. I was so impressed by the paintings I saw there that I was inspired to start painting again.

I've been focusing on abstract art. I find a great deal of satisfaction when I paint something that, at least in my mind, works. Many of my paintings do not work and I gesso over them and paint something new on that same canvas. I'm constantly trying to make something new and beautiful. It isn't easy. It can be downright discouraging sometimes. But I keep going, because it is good to finally paint something I like. And, to be honest, I'm still developing my skills (but isn't that true of all artists?) and trying to find my own style.

Here are a couple of my smaller general abstracts. They are both 8 x 10 inches.

A

B

I'm also trying my hand at miniature abstract landscapes. They are 5 x 7 inches.

C

D

Another theme I've developed is what I call 'Swirls.' They are both 8 x 10 inches.

E

F

How much I'll continue painting Swirls or miniature landscape abstracts remains to be seen. I'm sure I'll continue with the general abstracts. I'll probably continue with the miniature abstract landscapes as well, at least, for a while. I've done a lot of those that didn't work for one reason or another.

As it always is, doing art, whichever kind it is, requires time and commitment. It's certainly easier to find those two elements when you enjoy what you're doing.

If you're interested, you can see more of my paintings on Etsy here: RichardPHughesArtist .

As is obvious, I haven't mastered the art of photographing my paintings. That seems to require a higher skill level of photography than I have at this time, but I'm working on it.

Daily Decision: Writing or Painting

Everyday I have to decide what I'm going to do. Which is calling me more, writing or painting? It's tougher than it may seem. Painting is far easier for me to do; writing is more demanding. Add in reading and blogging, and I have a full day of work ahead of me. Most days, I start off reading, because I'm not ready to make the decision whether to begin writing or painting first. I'd say that most days I read for a while, then paint. Then the need to write calls me, and I start writing. Sometimes I just start off with painting, then when I've reached a point at which I'm ready to take a break, I can easily move into writing.

The saying that you cannot serve two masters comes into play. The question becomes, am I trying to serve two masters? And, if so, am I doomed to failure? Actually, I don't see myself as trying to serve two masters. They are both voluntary activities. I can walk away from either one at any time. I can give to them whatever amount of time I desire. There are days when I don't paint and days when I don't write, days when I do both and neither. I just try to be open to both and do what I can, and not fret over it.

The results of painting--the finished product--tends to come more quickly than that of writing. Writing tends to be a long-term project. So, they overlap each other. I'm happy working this way. It seems to suite me. I don't want to be a slave to either. I want to befriend the processes of both activities. They both give me satisfaction. They do, and I'm happy with that.

What I like most about painting: immediacy.

Writing and painting involve different parts of the brain. They certainly require different sets of skills. Both involve visualization, but they are different processes.

With writing, I see scenes within my brain and use words to describe them, to put them on paper in the form of word-pictures.

With painting, I interact with the medium itself--the picture; it speaks to me, tells me what it wants to be.

With writing, I discover from the inside out. With painting, I discover from the outside in.

Each, in its own way, gives satisfaction. The big difference is the immediacy of painting and, how shall I say it, the longevity of it. By longevity I mean the repeated enjoyment of the finished product. Yes, I can re-read a story as many times as I wish, but it requires x amount of time. Writing a story is a process that takes time, and even when I think it's finished, it often isn't necessarily so. I know when a painting is finished. I can see the results at a glance. And I can repeatedly enjoy the finished product at a glance.

Of course, the final products are two completely different things.

A story is a group of words that must be translated into a vision through reading. It takes time.

A painting is a vision. It takes very little time, in some cases, practically none at all, to see. The recognition, the communion, is immediate, or it can last as long as the viewer likes. That's one of the things I like about painting: the experience is immediate.

CHASING MATISSE: the right book at the right time

Occasionally, a book comes along that is "the right book at the right time". So it is with Chasing Matisse, A Year in France Living My Dream by James Morgan.

I had been eyeing this book in the library for a number of years, perhaps as many as six or eight, without picking it up. A couple of weeks ago I decided to give it a try. James Morgan, the author, and I are about the same age. He turned roughly sixty when he finished this book. I was almost sixty at the same time. Morgan gave up his livelihood, retired, and he and his wife Beth sold their home and moved to France. But there was a purpose to his journey: to follow somewhat in the footsteps of the painter Henri Matisse. Morgan had always wanted to be a painter (painting has always interested me though I did next to nothing about it, either, until I retired four years ago), and decided that he would start, with very little training, and do so in France while visiting the various places Matisse had lived. (I began taking drawing and painting classes at UNF  about two years ago, and am progressing slowly towards, I hope, respectability as a painter. Be not deceived, I have a long way to go.)

The book is full of anecdotes about Matisse and the places he lived and how they effected his style of painting. And Morgan's reflections about his adventure speak quite strongly to me and what I'm doing. Morgan's idea of retirement is to "Read, write, paint, think, travel: Finally my surface life and my subterranean life had meshed in perfect harmony." That's also my idea of retirement, especially, reading , writing, painting, and thinking. Travel will probably not be much in my retirement, certainly not traveling far from home. But the first four will keep me plenty busy.

This memoir is one that I could have lived, could have written, but...well, it's already been done. But it does have something indirectly to say about retirement and growing older. There is still a lot of adventure for us all, if we only take the chance.

Painting and Writing: Writing and Painting

I've not written any blog posts during the past thirty or so days, because I haven't had anything to say until now, and also I've been busy with writing and painting and reading and, especially, life responsibilities.

We all seek balance in our lives between work and play. Ideally, our play and work are one in the same, at least, a significant amount of the time. For me, writing and painting are a form of work and play. During the past thirty days, I've managed to revise two short stories. I've submitted them to a website where people read and critique each other's work. Critique Circle. Being that I'm not currently participating in local critique writing groups, this site is proving to be helpful, even inspiring. I've gotten some valuable feedback, and have tried to give others valuable feedback. Also, I've been doing a lot of painting. I've completed a few works in acrylic and I'm working in oils in my painting class. Both are engrossing endeavors.

Just like most writers, I have days when I don't feel like writing. I procrastinate, even though I have much to do and know what I've got to do. The wonderful thing, though, is that when I'm in that mode, I spend more time painting. So I'm still doing something I enjoy and progressing. Another factor, all though it's not a strong one, is that when I'm painting, I'm also thinking about my writing. So, I'm still, in a sense, writing.

It's a win-win situation, one that's making my idea  of work and play a reality.


 Critique Circle

Summer is gradually coming to an end. Is my writing?

I like summertime. It's a chance to swim in the pool on hot days. It's a chance to swim at the beach. Many plants flower during the summer. And I've had a good summer. My daughter, who moved to Georgia from Florida a year ago, has moved back. I had my three grandchildren around me for much of the summer. I painted in the hot garage almost everyday, my grandchildren right around me, also drawing, coloring, and painting. They produced many masterpieces, which are hanging on my garage walls. But it was hot in that garage. I came inside the air-conditioned house, sweat dripping off me, my shirt soaked. And I didn't mind it at all. The grandchildren are back in school now, so I have more free time. I'll be signing up for another drawing class, which starts next week.

The one thing I didn't do this summer was write. I wrote hardly a word of fiction. It was a thinking, reading, and wondering kind of summer. To be honest, the wondering has been about whether I'll continue trying to write fiction or give it up. My characters used to live inside my head; I temporarily became each character, feeling their feelings, thinking their thoughts; I became a different person for a while (actually, many different people), which is an amazing, emotionally satisfying kind of experience. That doesn't happen anymore. I don't become my characters. I'm not sure which is the mental illness: being able to become someone else, or not being able to become someone else. This is a serious issue. Not being able to become someone else leaves me with nothing to write about. I feel as if there's no life in what I'm writing. And, if there's no life in it, what's the point? This is what I'll be trying to figure out this fall, whether there's a reason to write anymore.

Painting: what it's teaching me about writing

Untitled (Oil pastel on paper) approx. 7.5 x 10.5 inches

I'll make no bones about it. I love drawing and painting. I'm loving it more and more everyday. I feel alive when I'm painting, more so than in most other activities. Even writing. But the desire to write is still within me, and what I'm re-discovering is that like painting--painting what excites and interests me--writing also needs to be based on what excites and interests me. Trying to write for the market just hasn't worked for me. I just cannot write to a formula, at least, not well. I need to return to the way I wrote maybe fifteen years ago, or earlier. Write what moves me and seems important to me, not necessarily what moves and is important to other people, which is most likely a prescription for not getting published. But, I want to be in love with writing again. I want to be passionate about it once again. Hopefully, I'm moving in that direction.

Untitled (Oil pastel on paper) approx. 7.5 x 10.5 inches

Herbivore, Mon Amour

I've chosen the title for my painting (help-me-name-my-painting). I like all the suggestions. Herbivore by itself didn't work for me, but with the add on it did; I like the rhyme and the "meaning". Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I'll seek your help in the future.

Help me name my painting.

I finished this the other day. I thought of calling it Self-Portrait as a Bug, but I don't have red eyes. I'd love to hear suggestions for a title from you. Please put your title in the comments.

Oil Pastel on paper, approx 7.5 x 10.5 inches.

Author As Visual Artist

This weekend I came across the art book Doubly Gifted: The AUTHOR As VISUAL ARTIST by Kathleen G Hjerter. It's a collection of art work by writers. There were many represented: Goethe, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, T.S. Eliot, and Hart Crane among others.

I was particularly impressed by Hart Crane's "Trees", an oil on canvas featuring strong blues and blacks. Even more impressive was August Strindberg's wonderful oil painting of a stormy sky over a bay, "The Town". E.E. Cummings was quite the watercolor artist. Hermann Hesse made a strong showing too. Among the more popular writers was James Michener, Colleen McCullough (acrylics), and John Updike.

I was uplifted by the collection. Many writers have also been painters, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, William Faulkner, and Dylan Thomas. Some of the quots by the authors indicated strongly that painting helped them in their writing.

I was beginning to have some self-doubts about beginning drawing and painting courses (although, for this first course I plan on just taking drawing). But seeing this book has given me new confidence.

Following Your Dreams

I'm beginning a new adventure in August. I've wanted to be a painter off-and-on for years. While I've practiced drawing, I've never attempted a painting. Now I'm going to start on my artistic adventure. I'm signing up for the classes that senior citizens can audit at the University of North Florida. Classes start in August. I intend to take drawing and painting--the basic level courses.

I've always been reticent about drawing and painting. I'm such a dedicated writer that I've been afraid that painting would take over my mind so that I would stop writing. I've been afraid I'd stop writing and be a poor painter. I know that many writers have also been painters. And vice versa. But the time is right to try doing both.

My plan is to continue writing as I have in the past, but to add in drawing and painting in odd hours. Maybe I'll give x number of hours a day to writing and x number to painting.

I love looking at art books and visiting art galleries. My imagination races when I go into an art supply store. It's almost overwhelming, but I feel a connection with what I see. I want that connection to come alive.

I like reading about painters' lives. I enjoy fictional versions of their lives, too. They seem to have the most interesting of lives. Right now I'm reading The Bauhaus Group. I've enjoyed reading about the impressionists and many of the modern painters. I find Kandinsky fascinating, as well as Jackson Pollock, and many others.

I'm a dreamer. Always have been. I'll continue to dream for as long as I can.