Green

Green White Orange work in Progress

June 24, 2013
Today I ponder painting … My painting … The orange green and white painting I had hoped to finish and post today.

Work in progress … That’s what it is … Work in progress … Good name for an artpiece that gets stuck somewhere between the “so inspired” and “don’t quite get it” stage … that space where the little voice begins to niggle and you wonder whether this one is any good … Whatever “good” means.

Good enough? For what? Compared to what?

Cups and saucers

Cups and saucers

That the expression “oh you are so talented” might make an artist squirm isn’t unusual and the squirming does not necessarily mean the artist is modest and awkward about accepting compliments.

Talented is simply not the best word to use.

Why? Because an artist’s work is just that … Work! That the artist might actually enjoy the work is something else.

So much of art is really about seeing and working … Stepping back and looking again … perhaps from a new angle … trying to communicate what is seen … Reworking the art … re-aligning an image over and over both in the mind and on the canvas.

I am doing just that sort of reworking on the painting I started last week, the one I thought I could quickly finish in a day. A new week has begun and I am still struggling … Ahh … work in progress … Now there is a useful expression.

Now if I can just learn to accept my limitations … Learn to overlook the implication of “talent contest” every time I hear the word “talent” and be brave enough to paint my own unique vision … Well like the song goes,
“Everything is gonna be alright”.

Meanwhile here is my green and white and orange work in progress …

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Today is June 20th … Everyday is special

Today is June 20th … Everyday is special …

today is World Refugee Day

http://reliefweb.int/map_permission

What is a refugee? Why would anyone choose to be a refugee? Are we willing to help refugees? Why? What about people who choose not to be refugees? What about those who wish to remain in their own country? What about those people who wish to live in peace, raise their families, make a decent honest living? Is there a special day for them too?

 

On days when I feel that this world doesn’t offer me much comfort I always have my virtual home at http://www.u2.com/index/home/

As in most homes, nobody there is perfect, not even Bono … But refugees are always welcome.
Today as I paint my daily cup I will ponder what it is to be a refugee and not have a place to call home.

Since some of my own ancestors were Irish refugees from Ireland I think today’s cup might be orange and white and green.

Today is June 27th.
If I hold the Irish flag up to you what you will see, from your point of view, reading left to right, the way we usually read a flag, is green, white and orange. From my position behind the flag, I might see it as orange, white, green, the flag of the Ivory Coast, unless I read it from right to left. Most confusing but somewhat interesting, this was brought to my attention by a very smart young man.