30 Paintings in 30 Days, Day 14

"I Never Did Mind the Little Things." - mixed media on canvas paper, 16" x 20".  Ready to frame.  Available on Artfinder.

LAUNCELOT: We were in the nick of time, you were in great peril.
GALAHAD: I don't think I was.
LAUNCELOT: Yes you were, you were in terrible peril.
GALAHAD: Look, let me go back in there and face the peril.
LAUNCELOT: No, it's too perilous.
GALAHAD: Look, I'm a knight, I'm supposed to get as much peril as I can.
        - from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Scene 11

It is post-storm de-programming time.  You know, when it's time to stop watching the weather channel and CNN 24/7, to reduce the number of times you peer outside and check the sky, to stop hoarding food and water like its the apocalypse  and to begin planning actual fun in your schedule.  It is also a time when I re-examine events in my head, sorting out what I could do better next time.

Of course, there are at least a dozen preparatory steps I could improve on, including keeping a list of things to do in the event of a hurricane! Ha!  But what I learned most from this experience is to be my own barometer of peril.  It is very easy to get overly anxious because others think I should, or to become too lax following the advice of another faction.  I spent a lot of time questioning my own feelings and actions this past week after listening to others.  Next time, I will spend more time listing to my own instincts, which generally don't have me get upset, just prepared.  Taking action makes for calm nerves. 

The title of this piece comes from a movie I watched long ago.   I can't remember the name of the movie, just that there was a lot of Nina Simone music throughout (she is one of my favorites) and this one line..."I Never Did Mind the Little Things"  which struck me as something to aspire to for the rest of my life.  I am still working on it, twenty years later.  After yesterday's studio debacle, it was delightful to be in the throes of abstraction, pushing and pulling until resolution appeared and the piece announced its completion.  And this time I am not wearing a puddle of gesso. :)