These Numbered Days, These Unrepeatable Hours

These Numbered Days

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​These Numbered Days,
These Unrepeatable Hours
oil on canvas panel
each 8 x 10 inches
These pieces are unframed.
(click on the image to purchase)

​ ...the measure of an unwasted life is not what outlives it but how it was lived — how much integrity and authenticity and creative vitality filled these numbered days, these unrepeatable hours. -THE MARGINALIAN

I've been thinking about the third act in a life.

​My life, to be exact. 

There are people (mostly very wealthy people) who are trying to add multiple acts to a lifespan.  And there are people who are more focused on the legacy they will leave behind, be it statues or street names or towers or ballrooms.

And we are a society focused on productivity: how much can you do, how much MORE can you do, how fast can you do it. Which leaves very little time or energy for just, well, living.

Admittedly, these are things I have the luxury of time, resources and near-retirement to contemplate. But wouldn't it be worthwhile if we directed the ship of our lives toward integrity, authenticity and creative vitality​ from the get-go? I try to imagine how my life would have unfolded if I had not been taught to do more, do better, do faster and instead had been taught to slow down, be curious, be true to myself.

​I don't have all the answers - no, no, NO! But I have questions. How about you?

These Unrepeatable Hours

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About the art: I recently had the opportunity to demonstrate oil painting to an up-and-coming young artist who was moving from acrylics to oils. Over the course of several hours, we built layers of oil paint on abstracted landscapes while pondering the trajectory of our creative lives. These pieces were started during that paint session, and completed over the weeks following.  Intuitive landscapes built rapidly and then refined, with a focus on lean-to-fat paint building, color and texture. They are small but impactful, and the process reminded me of the value of just diving in and letting the paint lead where it wants to. 

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The November Reader Giveaway is here! Leave a comment on any blog post in November to win a Question Exchange with me! Five questions each, asked and answered. We're building connections in the world, moving closer in small steps. Ready? Set? GO!

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The annual sale is nearly here!

Gesso murders will be rampant! Paintings will be obliterated! And the lucky ones will go home to savvy collectors who know this happens once a year and grab their favorites.

Is this to make money? Nope! Not at these prices. 
Is it to make room? Not at all, as I have BIG storage here.
What's it for?
Good question!
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Firstly, it puts original art in the hands of those for whom it might generally be just out of reach - that's mega important!

Secondly, it keeps this artist from becoming too precious about the work. A focus on what works, rather than what does not work. 

Thirdly, who doesn't want to dump gesso or paint over a piece of art? An act of protest! Of deconstruction!
​ Of demolition! YES!