Music often drives my paint brush as it does the laptop keys and even running miles. Primarily I don’t stray far from Rock n’ roll or Folk but I do enjoy exploring contemporary artists. My adult children will share their musical likes. I have enjoyed musical introductions from a friend. Random social media finds or a lucky moment on the radio are always welcomed…
Early this morning I headed to my studio. The day had hardly let itself be known but with coffee in hand up I went. Flicking on my grandfather’s brass lamp that rests on my writing desk. A warmth illuminated the vintage green globes. I softly smiled. Joy in the familiar felt particularly dear to me. My studio surroundings are nothing short of comforting to me. I was seeking something at 4 a.m. and maybe it was as simple as that…
The studio began to awaken as I turned on the canned overhead lights. I scanned the pieces drying on the lip at the far end of my studio before turning my head toward the easel. The dancer I would be working on this morning was under scrutiny before I was fully awake. I understood what adjustments would need to be made as the paint now dry gave me direction…
I reached for my earbuds that had been charging overnight at the top of the studio stairs. The white case like the buds is marked with paint. Dots and spots in cad red and yellow with Cobalt blue splattered too.
Joni Mitchell’s “For Free” was playing on Pandora as I made my way across the stained Hickory wood floor over to the easel. Grabbing a small piece of white school chalk on the table next to my easel I immediately marked up the painting. Anatomical corrections to be emphasized by intensifying shadows and the lights. I was ready to work…
I sank into Joni’s world as a respite from my own. Fraught with stress and sadness. A much-loved family member had lost her battle this week. The whiplash of a diagnosis had reminded us of all how quickly life can change. The void of a person who daily cared only for and about others. An amazing woman who will forever be missed. The deafening silence when the music stops always takes me by surprise. No matter how we try to prepare for the inevitable are we ever really ready for the last note to be played?
Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Dangling Conversation” played next. Beautifully sad lyrics that foreshadowed the conclusion of their creative relationship and allowed me a quiet license…
“And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow, I cannot feel your hand
You’re a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs
In the borders of our lives” –Simon and Garfunkel