February 18th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Why bother to paint?
She wrote: “I have a common problem. Even though I paint wonderful paintings (if I do say so myself) I don’t seem to be able to see a good reason or better yet, a purpose for doing them. How do I find my true passion in painting? That’s my question. Thanks, Peni.”
I was away painting for a week and mulled this over while I was out there. Here are a few thoughts that bubbled up to the surface…
Little Moments
Our life is a collection of little moments which slip by so quickly when we don’t notice them. The act of painting allows you to be very present in the moment, whether it’s struggling or soaring, you’re right there – present. When you aren’t in the present is when the painting goes bad. Enjoy the moment.
What is the purpose in painting?
What is the purpose in anything? It’s THE question. What reason? Ask me on different days and one day there will be no purpose, no reason, and the next day there will be the pure joyful purpose of living and experiencing. I use goals to get me from the hard days through to the easy days. Goals propel me forwards even when there is no reason for them to do so. Sometimes I think having no purpose at all is the purest form of being. Does a tree worry for tomorrow? Does the finger painting child worry for the purpose of their painting?
FINDING your Passion
What FILLS you with passion? Write a list of 5 or more things. Is it visiting a new place at sunset? Meditating? Running down sand dunes? Romantic times? Flying? Diving into turquoise waters? Praying? Running through the shallows? Dancing? Find those things and build more of them into your life – make lists, have goals, dream dreams, have a calendar on your wall with big green ticks in it for the days you’ve done something that moves you, leave stickers around the house which remind you to get your passion shot for the day, get friends on the same mission helping you helping them, read inspiring books and movies, listen to live music, follow that tingly feeling where EVER it may lead you. “Painting is like the cornerstone in a great arch. It takes the pressure of the day and holds all things together.”
- Deborah Strandberg
Lost and Found
We are ALL on the hormone rollercoaster, and those of us who do fly a little higher invariably sink lower too, despite outward appearances. The entire Universe is designed on the basis of ebb and flow, so it’s little wonder that our days and weeks and years follow the same pattern. We can’t expect to live passionately all the time, but our consolation in the quiet hollows can be that we know we won’t remain their long – we’re just gaining momentum for the upward swing.
PAINTING with Passion
Aristotle said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” What is significant to you about your subject or concept? Find the thing you love most about the subject or concept, and focus on that feeling – let everything in the painting and in your experience of creating the painting be an expression of that feeling. One of my favorite moments is sitting back with a coffee and absorbing a freshly finished painting – seeing how my passion translated itself into paint. If the translation is garbled their is inevitably disappointment, but if the translation is true the coffee seems to taste extra good.
Ooh, I’m all inspired! Better stop before I write a book.
Hope that helps in some way – it helped me.
Posted in Learning to Paint | 
Tags: Dharma, learn to paint, meditation, oil painting, painting | 
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Sometimes All You Can Do is Laugh
10 years later at 50 years of age, the buddies meet again, and again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen, because the food there is very good and the wine selection is good also.
10 years later at 60 years of age, these old friends meet again, and again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen, because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.
10 years later at 70 years of age, the bunch meets again, and again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen, because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.
10 years later at 80 years of age, the group meets again, and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen, which they think a great idea because they have never been there before.
Art Process as Meditation Conduct
“I wish to urge students of the dharma who may have forsaken their creative impulse in favor of practice to realize there is no conflict between creativity and meditation. Creativity can be understood, in essence, to be the practice of our own nature and that nature’s expression. You may find your way in to the nature through creativity; or you may come out from the nature to express creativity. Both have to be appreciated as the best of our mind’s potential.” - Kongtrul Rinpoche
The last week of the year and the time everyone is thinking of New Year’s resolutions, new goals, what’s my life about? I had the great good fortune yesterday to open the new issue of Buddhadharma magazine and read an article about Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s paintings! Well, it was really more about his process of painting, or taking his painting as the Path. Of course.
Once another Rinpoche said to us at KPC that the gardens we were building were great, but that the world had lots of gardens and didn’t need one more; that we had to build them with pure motivation and intention to benefit and liberate beings and then the gardens carry a blessing. Well, I think the same is true of making one more painting. He mentions that he thinks the great artists, whose works continues to touch us over time, probably “got out of the way” during the process of making the art, even if later they got caught up in the fame, approval or rejection. It is that “egolessness” that comes through the art that is timeless and touches us where we live, in the natural vitality of awareness. When he came to the west, interestingly, he was struck by the art of Kandinsky and Picasso among others; those who gave over to the process without regard for public approval. And their art endures.
What this article pointed out, and clarified for me, was how to use the process of painting, the natural process of creativity (so it could be music, writing, any creative pursuit) to watch the mind, overcome grasping attachment, come to resolution, and experience what he calls the natural vitality by getting out of the way. He encourages all artists to use this method and produce paintings that carry the blessing of that natural vitality to the world, and benefits self and others.
I went right to his site to view his paintings, and voila! there is the mp3 of the talk he gave from which this article was written. The Q & A at the end has even more interesting teachings that were not all in the article, and will benefit all who wish to use the activities in their life in harmony with their spiritual path whether one is a meditator or not.
So it made me think about my New Year’s resolutions more deeply, and how I might align my daily activities with my spiritual path, using each moment as a way to benefit self and others. How about you? What can you do in 2010 to make the world a little bit better for others?
Posted in Dharma, Learning to Paint |
Tags: art as spiritual path, meditation, painting, rinpoche |
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Merry Christmas to All!
Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful day and hope the New Year brings you every blessing!
Nice, quiet Christmas Day as we had our family get together last night. The kids were high energy, the food was great and all had a grand time.
Shipped off the last two pet portraits on Wednesday, finished in the nick of….
Bailey Jane, Bichon Frise puppy:
Bichon Frise Bailey Jane Pet Portrait
This was painted in oils (Genesis Heat Set Oils, praise Buddha, or it would never have gotten done in time!) on a 6 x 12 gallery wrapped canvas. The BEST part was the email from the puppy’s Mom when she received it:
Dear Elizabeth,
You captured the sweet spirit of Bailey Jane on canvas! The painting is magnificent! It looks just like her! Thank you so much for painting her and for sending the painting to me on Christmas Eve morning! There never was a more perfect Christmas Eve gift! I love it! I wish you the very best this coming year! I hope that we can get together this summer when I bring Bailey Jane for a visit.
Then she emailed everyone a picture, then a second picture, with another note:
This photo shows the colors better. I cropped it for a close up view. I love it, love it, love it! I was feeling tired before the package came! Now I am back in the Christmas mood and can get busy cleaning!
THANK YOU!
It’s not that I am bragging, I’m sharing because (you other artists will understand), when it leaves my easel, the voice in my head is chanting, “It’s not very good, she’ll hate it.” So this really made my day, too!
German Shepherd Pet Portrait
A last minute portrait I rushed through but was pretty happy with, Kuro. I think he’s a German Shepherd mix. His facial bone structure was a challenge and I see why artists study anatomy. To ‘get it’ I had to visualize the underlying bones and eye sockets. This one is a 9×12 in oils on gallery wrapped canvas.
My grandchildren all were over the moon with the paintings I did for them, which I posted previously. Funny, the one I thought would not care about it, Garrett, being only 3 years old, was AGOG. He opened his “Bear” painting (and he had his REAL “Bear” with him of course) and exclaimed, “OH, it looks just like BEAR!” Then he carried the painting around in a hug along with the real bear saying “Now I have two Bears!”. Adorable. Somebody said later, after mountains of gifts had been opened, that they thought the paintings were the big hit of the night. It made me realize that hand-made things from the heart really do touch the heart and gave me deep happiness that I could make them all happy for a moment.
Again, Merry Christmas!