a work in progress

I’ve been painting little bits on the bees here and there over the last few days and I feel I’ve neglected my blog as I focus on some old and new business tasks. I have been enjoying emails with another painter and thought I’d include a little of my end of today’s conversation for you.

…It seems I have to do this one the hard way sort of coaxing the bees out as a group, while I wait for them to tell me their true form and meaning and inspire me to complete the piece. Tedious, painting little bees, so I have determined a way to make it harder than it has to be.

… I have been reading Skinny Legs and All, a continuation of my Tom Robbins orgy, in which the main character is a painter and art and money are often discussed. Some things are simply not about money and that is all too rare in our time and place, he repeatedly reminds the reader. I have a friend who made beautiful books and gave them away. She has a friend who has a chic little shop in LA who wanted to sell her books. My friend declined, convinced that doing it for the money would harm her enthusiasm for her craft and possibly even affect the quality of it. I told her to sell them. I make stuff to sell. I want to sell all my art. I like money. But the part that keeps me interested in painting is the process of creating and solving little problems as I work…

Like the bees.