When There Is Rain and Cold There is Time To Sit And Think
It's Michigan. It's Saturday, October 27, 2007. It's rainy, cold and dark. It's only 11:45 AM. I suppose the weather has made me a little melancholy. The curtains are pulled on the windows. I go to the window to let in some light before sitting down to paint. I pull back the curtains. Its ugly and dark. I decide on not pulling the curtains back and let them fall closed. I go to the desk, stream an old episode of This American Life and sit down to the blank 9"x12" paper. The house is quiet, everyone is gone and Ira Glass talks over the speakers. There is a story about a father who was married 5 times and there were 9 kids somewhere in there. The kids were all trying to make sense of the father. It reminded me of a portrait I painted for my father which he did not take with him when he left. The speakers go quiet and I can hear leaves swirling around outside the window near my desk. I continue painting in the silence because when there is rain and cold there is time to sit and think. So, here is to portraits and people who may get left behind. And here is to all those that stick around to enjoy those paintings and people...Enjoy!
