Been sidelined by neck and hand pain, but know I will feel better soon. I am looking forward to my freedom, but the wait makes me anxious. Here are some new sketches:




Another inscrutable painting; started with ink, the board being horizontal. I drew images from books on hunting, women, and other artists (esp. Titian), then turned the board vertically; painted a Buddha of loving kindness crushing uncontrollable emotions in the form of elephants. She has a vulture and a lynx as her consorts: I wanted her to have some powerful animals on her side. We are faced with good and evil and engaged in negotiating between the two so often, so having one painting for each didn’t make too much sense. Each being entwined within us–we can’t separate the two. The friction they create as they push up against each other creates a sort of painting, or something approximating beauty.
I wanted to add as little paint as possible to this image. I think I achieved the balance I was after; just the right amount of canvas left white and the right amount of paint applied to keep the imagery fresh. In seeing it again, I am most pleased with the hand on the right. It conveys the stains on one’s hands, even when one tries to be good. It seems to be throbbing in pain, which is a good thing for this painting.