Category: Hope

As an artist I work with lines every day.  Literal and figurative lines.

Identifying,
following,
creating lines
is my passion,
my profession,
and
my way through life.

Finding the line that pulls you into a painting is my joy.

As a human being I deal with lines every day.  Literal and figurative lines.

We navigate through life not all that differently than when we were children skipping down the sidewalk avoiding the cracks.

“Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.”

It was not until this morning that I realized how much wisdom is hidden in the ancient children’s game.

Beware the cracks.
Beware the lines.
Step on a crack and you can’t go back.

Some lines cannot be uncrossed. 

Late last night I was painting and I did something I almost never do.
I usually let what happens happen and deal with it later as part of my process.
Life happens.
You deal.
It becomes part of the journey.

Last night I laid down painted lines that did not belong.  In a heartbeat I knew it was wrong.

The lines did not move the narrative forward.  Using a large, stiff paint brush and clean water I scrubbed away the offending paint from the canvas.

It was not too late.

The water and friction dissolved the offending lines and the diluted paint ran down the canvas.  Using a bath towel, decorated with purple roses, from my childhood, I wiped dried the canvas.    The “mistake” was erased, the lines were gone, but other areas were erased as well.  “Undo” works great on computers.  Not so well with art or life.

There are always consequences when we go back.

I crossed a line.  I was able to go back and make reparation.

This is not always the case.  Some lines cannot be uncrossed.

Sometimes it is too late.

The offending lines were caused by my carelessness.
It was late.
I was tired.
I was jacked up on a second pot of oolong tea.
The lino stamp I carved was complicated.
Ever so carefully I aligned the stamp and, with confidence, pressed the stamp onto the canvas.

Stepping back to admire my handiwork.
The right stamp.
The right place.
The right time.
It.  Was.  Upside.  Down!

My heart was in the right place, but the result was upside down.

We don’t always have everything we need to do right.

And sometimes we do have everything we need and it still isn’t enough.

User error. 

We are careless with what is in front of us.
We don’t recognize the dangers.
We don’t recognize the privilege.

We are mindless of repercussions.

An old towel, a stiff brush, and water are seldom enough to erase our mark.
Some lines cannot be uncrossed.

Awareness of lines is healthy.

Lines delineate boundaries.
Lines define space.
Lines indicate direction.

Lines communicate.

What is the written word but a conglomeration of lines assigned meaning.

And then there are mean words.

(Mean is a complicated word.  A noun, a verb, and an adjective.)

Some lines cannot be uncrossed.

I have been contemplating lines.  Literal and figurative lines.

In life there is no going back, only forward. 

I know what forward looked like today.
I do not know what forward will look like tomorrow.

My paintings are my attempt to encourage myself,
and in the process,
encourage others
to keep moving forward.

My paintings are a declaration that beauty is possible.
The lines on the canvas
and the lines on our faces form our stories.

Some lines cannot be uncrossed.

Some lines, crossed, deserve celebration!