I spent last weekend painting, for no other reason than to let it out and let it in. In a room with 27 other folks, there were life size paintings, bright and not so bright colors and a whole lotta processing! See The Painting Experience. I haven’t quite digested the experience, so more on that later. However, as part of the workshop, we watched a one-hour documentary called “The Fire Within“ about M. C. Richards, an inspiring artist and teacher who was a central figure at Black Mountain College. I was very moved by M.C.’s commitment to and practice of authentic living and creating, what a treat to get to know her a little bit in this way! Her way of being and letting herself create was exactly what we were practicing that weekend… painting from source.
Three days later, in the course of lightening her physical stuff, my friend, painter Robin Sierra, gave me two boxes of books, most of them art related, she thought I may appreciate them. I put one of the boxes on the arm chair in my studio and sat down on the floor, reaching up and into the box to pull out one book at a time, one surprise after another!!! If I had been sitting on a chair, I would have fallen off of it when I pulled out M.C. Richards’ “The Crossing Point”! I love synchronicities, they just make my heart jump and put a huge smile on my face. I examined the fragile paperback and jumped up, holding it with two hands, shouting “thank you!” After I calmed myself down and started back into the process of surprise-surprise!, here came “Centering”, M.C. Richards’ classic work! It was mentioned numerous times in the documentary I saw three days earlier. That did it. I must start reading! Thank you Robin, thank you M.C., and thanks to the folks at The Painting Experience!
