Stone Souls
my sanity corner, painting away
Could say a whole whole lot on this nearly every day creative sweet spot I am allowing myself in spite of the turmoil of everything or because of it. The presence of the stones grounds me in a companionship with the earth I live on. Some of them look at me and vice versa for years, but mostly for days or weeks, as we speak with each other, me with acrylics and brushes and pens in hand. The layers just keep layering until there's some kind of finished feeling, maybe. There is no real thought process of the writing kind that I am otherwise so fond of - for which I thank Google speech even though we do tussle with my old fashioned excellent training by a host of teachers in the 40s and 50s.
The other half of completing this cycle is my carrying some smaller probably ‘finished’ ones around in my left front pants pocket, on exiting my apartment for wherever I might go beyond my comfy little cave. Sometimes I go out of my way to have a short conversation or maybe longer one with somebody, most are very pleasant and acquainting. Then given even the smallest amount of time for a further exchange I pull out the handful to show them and say something like I've been painting these stones and I love to share them when I have a good connection. Never never fails to bring some additional value to both of us. And I always ask because it's a completion for me the artist, “What do you see?” The answers are fabulous and go way beyond any particular visions I might have had while painting; and of course I always ask people to take one if they see one they like - which they always do! I feel completed as the artist, as another person inhabiting the same world. And you never know who you might meet this way, it's fascinating, literally heartwarming
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We don't have to take art courses to be artists …. acrylics and a host of inexpensive art supplies are easy to find, at Target, at Jo-Ann's and certainly art stores and online. And stones? Start looking down..also in gardens and possibly hardware stores, gravel driveways, vacant lots, you never know till you start looking. The really challenging ones are craggy and rugged; I have also been known to buy glass stones. When the paints and penlines have completely dried I spray them with a matte finish that keeps them stable in their exterior clothes :-). And I always keep one favorite one in my right hand pocket. For me.