Being open to joy.

I have a short amount of time and I wanted to get this post out there.

 Attached is a painting I just completed and I absolutely love the mood and grace of this picture.

 The painting which I am titling "silence" was a work in progress that had been sitting for quite a while and was probably to become destined for the "never to see" section of my studio. That was until my brother inquired about it and wanted to buy it. There was no way I was going to sell it because I just was not happy with the incompleteness or the direction and feel of the painting. Well I struggled with even picking it up again, every time I looked at it I was not inspired and I kept telling my self, "I have to get it done for him as  surprise him as  a Christmas gift." The emphasis must have always been on the words "have to" and not "gift", because I left it alone for a month.

What actually happened for me was one day I believe I let go of the "have to" and just allowed the painting to be worked on again. Different for me, but I actually started getting inspired about what was happening and allowed the joy of painting, of "being artist" to take over.

Anyway I ended up with a painting that for me is one of my personal favorites, very difficult to let go of, a lesson in allowing or accepting what is and creating action anyway.

Moral for me or re-confirmation is the joy in anything or just joy is always present, not created, we just have to get out of our heads for a few minutes.

Hope he does not actually see this post, but if you do, Merry Christmas.