# 62 - Getting Back Into the Groove

                                                         "View from the El"

                                                    "Together on Strawberry Street"

                                                      "On His Own"

Fellow Art Lovers:

This will be short and sweet.

When I left you last, I was complaining.  I hadn’t painted for six weeks, and I was saying that I felt clumsy, out of practice and out of my groove.

But, as you see above, I’m starting to get some of the right feelings back. These paintings don’t represent what I believe I’m capable of, but I’m moving in the right direction.

It’s like I’m learning to walk again. These three paintings are the first steps. “View from the El” just appealed to me while waiting from the train. Looking down and watching life going on below me fit into my world view somehow. “Together on Strawberry Street” was left over from last spring; when I went back to the scene just a while ago, I was still struck by the play between the lights and the shadows.  And “On His Own,” which is barely started, was a painting I wanted to do but could not do over the summer; a boy feeling independence while walking alone through the park appealed to me.

How did I get going? Well, a lot of it is plain bull-headedness. I can’t help that. So often, if I want to accomplish something, it becomes an obsession; I just keep beating my head against the wall, hoping I’ll break through to some extent. Well, I did.

After some initial numbness, ideas started coming to me, images came to me, and my brush or knife hand started moving.  

These three paintings are not great, but they’re a beginning. In fact, I’m almost ready to resume some of the big projects that got derailed by the closure of my old studio building, the famous 915 Arts. Life changes, and I have to adapt. At least, in this instance.

But really, I don’t have a choice. My self-expression, sharing my thoughts and the emotions I feel when I’m painting – all of this is important to me. My life needs a central focus, some center to bring everything else together. Something more that occupies my mind and gives my life more meaning. I don’t know what I’d do without it.

Of course, I want to hear your reactions. If you have time, please let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for your time and support.

Best,

Bill