Did a new painting this afternoon and a few ideas kept coming into my mind, my awareness, as I painted. Often my intuition speaks to me while paintings – and taking long walks, by myself.

“Spirit of Color Elementals, Guide Me” 48″ x 56″ Oil Pastel on Paper 2007

Don’t know “what” I’m painting – just that it feels right and liberating. When I started, by drawing out a series of cubes, across the canvas – I had the idea of “progress” – of a progression – and that probably represents my life – which is moving forward.

It’s known that visual arts is really not so much about representing reality, or even recreating it, but of suggesting feelings and ideas visually that can not be spoken – because there are no words for the message in Art, when it’s successful. I guess, that explains why people, many years later can still relate, still feel “something” in paintings, hundreds of years old.

I often feel that way in front of Manet’s Luncheon in the Grass at the Museum D’Orsay. Cezanne’s work often does that for me too, but the feelings are different for each artist, each work of Art – and the physical lighting (space) as well as my own “inner” space needs to be in alignment to really enjoy Art.

I was thinking about a few situations in my life that aren’t fully resolved on one hand, and Online Social Networks on the other – in fact, as I stood back from this painting tonight, it hit me that I was looking a topology diagram, of sorts, of some kind of Social Network. I could almost say this is portrait of the Social Network I’m trying to build for the WAA, but I think it goes beyond that.

And then, I’m a believer in “spirit guidance”, there really are elementals of color, and I often feel guided by them as I paint. Sometimes, I actually see my energy going right into the brush – but often, it happens when I’m not trying to do anything – almost unpredictability.

Isn’t there a Zen saying that the essence of being is in nothinglessness?

Yes, there is such a saying.

A movie says everything in robot artist draws portraits

Not half bad.

Reading Ten Faves: Bonnard’s Open Window in Modern Art Notes I was immediately attracted to Pierre Bonnard’s Open Window (below, left) and thinking of my own Halo Still Life, on the right:

I was thinking that in an Artist’s work, there’s going to be ups and downs, things they respond to more, they do really well, and other motifs, that are not as “successful” (however that’s defined).

It’s hard to explain why the “open window” series is more successful, than, say, other paintings that Bonnard did – but almost all of his window paintings I respond to – where as some of his other scenes don’t always do it for me.

Sometimes, it’s impossible to really explain why some types of subject matter, maybe a particualar model even, lead to work that’s superior – it’s hard to explain even how that happens – and sometimes, it’s hard to even know how some paintings come to be.

For example, I was looking at some of my own work recently and thiking – why do I find those particular works more pleasing or successful? I don’t even know how I did my Self Portait last year – it sorta “happened” and if I tried to paint something like this today, I’d probably not be able to.

I was reading Tinkering with “Finished” Work in Edward Winkleman’s blog this morning and thinking about artists who are compulsive and aren’t able to let go, to complete anything.

In a way, nothing ever is complete, and probably, just about any work can be improved – but to what end?

Winkleman quotes a New York Times article titled Even if His Own Work Isn’t Broke a Brazilian Architect Fixes It by NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF :

“…But the greatest threat to Mr. Niemeyer’s remarkable legacy may not be the developer’s bulldozer or insensitive city planners, but Mr. Niemeyer himself.

It is not simply that his latest buildings have a careless, tossed-off quality. It’s that some of his most revered buildings — from the Brasilía Cathedral to the grand ceremonial axis of the city itself — have been marred by the architect’s own hand. And this poses an uncomfortable dilemma: At what point do we — that is, the public that idolizes him, his government and private clients — have an obligation to intervene? Or is posing the question an act of spectacularly bad taste?”

In architecture, work done isn’t really owned by the Artist, in most cases, and I’m surprised that anyone, including Mr. Niemayer, would be allowed to go in and modify his older designs.

Since nothing ever is done – the best thing to do is to make an arbitrary decision and stick to it.