I finished re-reading "The Brothers Karamazov" this afternoon, which was an excellent muse for painting. There's a lot of love in it.
I realized today that painting passionate, loving portraits is like driving. The best way to serve the people is the lose yourself in the work, in the practice of painting, not analyzing all your moods and thoughts, or addressing the models directly. As with driving. If you start thinking about and noticing all the other drivers, contemplating their separate lives and journeys, you'll be a distracted driver, and more likely to get in an ACCIDENT and actually hurt people. At the same time, being a safe and courteous driver depends on knowing in the back of your mind that all these other vehicles contain human beings.
It's a strange sort of suspension.
Become a good driver.
Become a good painter.
That is the way to love people. Trust the Holy Spirit. Paint the little blue shadows around the eyes, the reflection on the nostril. Pay attention.
I think back to the story B told me about T observing his head of Christ, and being moved and asking,
"What went through your mind as you painted this?"
B understood the question but replied,
"I should put this green stroke right here..."
"No," his guest persisted, "I mean, what was your spiritual state?"
B explained that the painting process was not about a heightened spiritual or emotional experience. Those things came through the work because they were behind it, part of him, but he painted it as a painter, faithful to his work.
God, please make me faithful.
I realized today that painting passionate, loving portraits is like driving. The best way to serve the people is the lose yourself in the work, in the practice of painting, not analyzing all your moods and thoughts, or addressing the models directly. As with driving. If you start thinking about and noticing all the other drivers, contemplating their separate lives and journeys, you'll be a distracted driver, and more likely to get in an ACCIDENT and actually hurt people. At the same time, being a safe and courteous driver depends on knowing in the back of your mind that all these other vehicles contain human beings.
It's a strange sort of suspension.
Become a good driver.
Become a good painter.
That is the way to love people. Trust the Holy Spirit. Paint the little blue shadows around the eyes, the reflection on the nostril. Pay attention.
I think back to the story B told me about T observing his head of Christ, and being moved and asking,
"What went through your mind as you painted this?"
B understood the question but replied,
"I should put this green stroke right here..."
"No," his guest persisted, "I mean, what was your spiritual state?"
B explained that the painting process was not about a heightened spiritual or emotional experience. Those things came through the work because they were behind it, part of him, but he painted it as a painter, faithful to his work.
God, please make me faithful.
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