Staying Loose
October 21, 2009 by Janice
First marks are exhilarating, like getting on a plane and taking off for an adventure, leaving gravity behind. Middle marks, and marks that can be repetitive need that same excitement. Even if there are lots and lots of them.
Lots.
Not done with all the background grasses yet.
But they need the same love and attention.
The same freshness as first marks.
How do we do that?
Careful, quiet persistence?
Sure.
A personal grass painting mantra?
Maybe.
Or
You could dance.
When shoulders start to tense. Or my sense of direction gets tedious or drifting…
I move away from the paint for a minute, and put on some music. One of those no way to stand still songs that you can move into effortlessly. Like this one.
Which came to me by pure chance.
I think.
While sitting on a bench at Kinko’s on Oak Street waiting for copies. You know, doing one of those detail things we all do when we work for ourselves?
The guy sharing my space on the bench turned out to be a musician.
Doing his little detail stuff too.
But he kept getting calls about an upcoming gig.
He would apologize, take the call.
Explain, “I have a gig coming up on the Costa del Sol.”
Then he’d sneeze.
“Bless you.”
“Thanks.”
We were both knee deep in our allergies at the time.
My mind was half there, half on the painting I had left drying back at the studio, I needed to get back to it. But it was nice talking to a fellow artist . So I relaxed. Went with it.
Waiting for copies.
I could tell he liked making music.
He found out I liked making paintings.
Just chat.
This and that.
Back and forth.
Just being. Two artists. A painter and a musician. On a bench in a copy store.
Time out, taking care of business. Passing some time in conversation.
Then Kevin’s name was called and we took our leave, wished each other well and went on with our separate artist days…
But I asked the guy who was with him, would Kevin have any music out that I could listen to? He seemed like he would make good music and by the way what kind did he make?
The other man said, ” He does acoustic blues, do you like that?”
Yes. I do.
Then he said,”Well, Kevin has some out, but he goes by this….”
And he scribbled down a name, not Kevin, and said, “Here, you might like this one.”
Then my name was called . “Oops, that’s me”
” Cartier?”
“Yes”, I said.
“We’ll keep an eye out for your paintings.”
I smiled. Thinking, nice guys. So…
I went to the music store and bought it.
Yes.
That’s how I found my loosening up song.
On a break, staying loose in my ” hood”,
Taking time to chat with a fellow artist through tissues and sneezes and phone calls from the Costa Del Sol, talking about paint and travels and playing music..
I got one of my favorite dancing songs.
My shoulders visibly lower about two inches at the first notes on this one …and then I slide…
Yes slide right into it.
Glide.
Turn a bit and smile.
By then the music carries me away into pure painting territory.
Only it’s my body painting movement in space,
The rhythm shaking out all the tense…
Loosening up my bones.
Putting me back in the zone.
And then…
The paint flows from unrestricted muscles, from fluid rhythmic thoughts,
transported,
refreshed,
Ready to give those middle marks the same energy and feeling, the first marks got.
And yes, I always remember sitting there on that bench in the copy store…
With Kevin.
Who goes by the name Keb’Mo.
Muses and masters come from all sorts of places.
Just takes being a little open,
Sometimes just being open to a chat,
Sometimes just being.
and sometimes…
From just daring to dance.
How about you? How do you stay loose when you are into really deep work?
Comments
3 Responses to “Staying Loose”
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Jan, I was riveted watching your story unfold and then delighted at the surprise twist-you shared a bench and chat with Keb’Mo! I can’t wait until he spots your work in a gallery and smiles as he purchases it remembering that day on the bench.
Karen,
LOL…now that would be great karma indeed.
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