Let Me Keep My Distance

Let Me Keep My Distance

Let Me Keep My Distance
oil on paper
13.5 x 19 inches
This item is unframed.
​(click on the image to purchase)


Let me keep my distance, always, from those 
who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say 
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment, 
and bow their heads. - MARY OLIVER

It is becoming a habit to mindfully curate whose voices (actual voices, words, images, songs) I allow into my little world.  

Somehow it feels extra critical right now to keep tabs on what gets in, then sniff out and banish what isn't helpful.

I like to think there is an ejector seat button right here at my fingertips - and I use it liberally. Mute? Yep. Block? No problem. Delete? Yes please. Invite? Carefully. Accept? With caution. The rain barrel of my psyche is close to full with all the things it can handle with grace. And I know all too well what happens when that barrel overflows - it ain't pretty.

I've noticed many of us asking "how do I?" with respect to the world situation (and how that situation trickles or pours or floods into our towns and neighborhoods).  Perhaps it is different for each of us, what works and what does not. Here is one article I found helpful: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260312-nine-tips-to-help-you-cope-during-turbulent-times .

​I'd love to know what is working (and what isn't) in your world, dear readers - maybe our combined compassion and kindness can come up with a plan?

About the art: beginning with a gesso'd sheet of printer paper (the kind used by artists, not copier paper) I roughed in a basic composition with a brush laden with thinned oil paint. Darks added next to refine the composition (ourside-in) and then the colors on the inner sections (inside-out). Lots of drying time. Then layers (and layers and layers) of progressively thicker oil paint.  I used a palette knife to add texture to the rocks, the water, and the sky, and a rounded stiff-bristled brush to define the clouds. A mysterious landscape from a place I've never been, but might want to hide in from the wild, wild world. 

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​For those who prefer to listen and watch the weekly blog, here is a YouTube video just for you! :)