Picturing Myself As a Writer Painting
What does a painter look like? What does she dream of painting? Is she a woman inspired by the Divine to do things like paint with old credit cards? Is she all by herself, working in an attic, a garage or a kitchen? Or would she rather wait for warm days when she can paint outdoors, slopping as much paint on the lawn as she does on the canvas. (She regularly hoses down paintings she doesn't like; traces of paint remain, and she starts painting the canvas again. And again.) Oh the wonders of acrylics – and yes, they can be layered thick!
She explains her painting this way: she is not the noun, a painter, but rather the verb, she paints. Her goal is always to let THE PAINT BE WHAT IT WANTS TO BE!! She yields up control and steps out of the way of the process. The only thing she insists on is using up all the paint on the palette. Paint is too precious (and expensive) to throw away, so anything leftover starts another painting!
I do believe the painting you see here was one of those last minute, use up all the paint, kind of paintings. And the funny thing is, people say, those must be the Tetons. Or the Himalayas. I just smile. Those mountains are just about the size of two or three swipes of a credit card!!!
In Yiddish, we often use the term "beshert" to describe something that is absolutely wonderful, something that happens just the way it should. Two people finding each other in love is "beshert." Well, so paintings I believe can be beshert. Not all of them, but some.
We wait for those to come our way.
Maybe someday I will find a way to paint with other women -- like those stoic Vermont women in my first novel, Dreaming Maples. (Check out my novels on my other website, www.ClaudiaJRicci.com) Maybe there will be a house by the ocean, overlooking the sea? Before that though there will soon be a beautiful new house for me and my amazing husband, Richard Kirsch, who supports every crazy artistic notion I have ever had. Come see us in North Egremont, Massachusetts, only five miles from Great Barrington.
What does a painter expect from a website that splatters her paintings across the internet? Is she hoping that her paintings will make her rich and famous? Are you kidding? HA!
She will be satisfied simply to share her visions with the people who care to share them. Keep telling yourself that the only things that matter are:
Your family, including cousin Pat Rotondo, who painted the incredible cover image for my first novel. And helped me make this website! (She is now designing very elegant jewelry, check it out!)
Your friends, who are there in good times and in bad, always ready to celebrate life, and art, and food and nature, and all that is good in the world.
And the Divine Spirit, which makes every single thing, all of it energy, possible!
Oh, and there is little Poco, who makes our world a better place. (Did you ever think about the fact that if you spell DOG backward, you get GOD? :)