It has been a long time since I last published my thoughts online. The pandemic and political unrest in the U.S. and around the world soured my attitude. I felt (and still feel) out of touch with my own place in society. It is not the first time in my sixty-one years I have felt that way. Frankly, I am surprised to be in this state of mind at this time in my life. However, I am an artist and this is part of my journey.

As an artist I spend a lot of my time painting. I began the painting, “Time” in late December 2021. It is nearly a four-foot square and as soon as I started I knew I had created a monster. I worked on primed canvas that has a rough surface and the piece took five months to complete.

Since wrapping up this project earlier in May I have reflected often on my thought processes while I painted. That is the fascinating part to me. Not the technical process, which is very controlled and tedious but the things I allow to engage my mind. Music is at the top of the list and important for my creativity and focus. Titles of an art piece are also key in my thoughts while in production. The name “Time” is one of many potential titles for this piece. Thought processes to avoid: dwelling on the past.