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.