should always ‘be careful what you pray for’ - like ‘enlightenment breaking out in different parts of the world’ [yesterday’s blog] ...this morning my computer delivered me articles on ram dass and OMfest in santa monica [la,ca] this past weekend , last weeks’ ceremonial making and dismantling of buddhist sand paintings at lehigh university [bethlehem,pa] in preparation of the Dalai Lama’s visit next month, and anti war/peace demonstrations all over america ...
that’s very good - but perhaps a little too inarticulate ...
what if we try ‘enlightenment’, peace, less brutality, more intelligence, consideration, and less greed or more kindness or something like that ...
what about ‘the golden rule’ - that’s simple ...
like a chinese whisper: ‘send reinforcements, we’re going to advance’ to, ‘send three and fourpence we’re going to a dance’ ...
‘gold rules’ ...
what would the news media industry do without our horrors - they’d have to modify their carnivorous and sensationalizing methodology into something educational and informative ...
i’m trying really hard to put together a few politically-free days ...
as lally would suggest, ‘an antidote for insanity is creativity’ ...
it doesn’t get any clearer than that ...
so now i paint ...
not that easy: not without some degree of ritual transcendence; - found myself cleaning - then recleaning the brushes - most of them - make sure they’re all sufficiently pliable if called upon - clean the palette - or try, til i give up trying - check the caps, squeeze the tubes, check the colors, locate some tin cans and lidded jars, check the varnish, oil and turp - check the brushes again ...
which canvas, what color do my eyes need this morning, what size, can’t find any suitable distractions - already too much coffee, choice becomes necessarily random in the end -
just begin ...
another four hours of my life lost [?] to finessing paint into a canvas - sometimes its hardly a matter of thinking - just lost in the act - ever so present, alert, and lost - i remember, “still this beating heart”, “still the world, she is changing”, and 'promises' that have [for the most part] come true ...
painting is [as i define my job], not only dealing with contemporary issues [art + ...] but also some form or practice of meditation and prayer ...
so keep the brushes clean ...
