The Unexamined Life

“Remember tonight.. for it is the beginning of always.” ~Dante Alighieri


So what do you think? Is the unexamined life worth living? To be totally id, without reflection, without self-correction, without a second thought, would that be a life well lived? I think not.
I firmly believe that only through introspection, only through a bit of self-analysis can we learn from our mistakes, cherish the experiences we have and create good memories from them. I think an unexamined life would be a very hollow one indeed.
Mind you, the pendulum can swing the other way and we can wallow in overanalyzing our motives, our actions, ourselves so that we make ourselves sick. The Greeks had it right...all things in moderation. Only through balance can we achieve optimum health in mind and body.

I have been feeling really positive about my work; where it's going, where it has come from...what I want to say with my paintings. I do want so badly to convey an undercurrent of emotion in the paintings. As you would see a frozen river with water running slowlly underneath it, that's what I want to try to do pictorially. I have been spending more time on each piece...working an extra day or two to make sure it really is done to my satisfaction. The extra few hours can really make a difference I find. I don't like heavy-handedness in terms of narrative....for the underlying "dialogue" I prefer nuance, a hint, a glimmer of what the subject might be going through. Providing all of the answers is no fun...I want more questions to be asked than answered.

On a very cool note, my friend DB, who runs a Stephen Colbert fan site, has informed me excitedly that his friend went to The Colbert Report in NYC with her son as part of the "Make A Wish" program for sick kids to video her son visiting the set. On the video of the visit, DB saw that my painting of Stephen hangs, all framed, on a wall in Stephen's office. How amazing is that? As DB says, it hangs "On a brick wall, so you know he had to have someone drill a hole for a screw to hang your pic on." Thanks for the great news DB! I'll be smiling about that for a long time!

Friends really do make the world go around...I am so fortunate to have friends that are like the siblings I never had. Gayle, Melissa, Jim, Kevin...they are a special breed and I cherish them. I had a wonderful evening out with a bunch of them on the weekend...we had a lovely late Thai dinner...good food, great people, stimulating discussions (including the ever-re-hashed theologically-themed one) and an AWOL feline to boot.

Pet Peeve today: People who put change on top of bills when they hand them to you. It sounds silly, but if they put coins on the bills, the coins slide off and you're like a waiter spilling a tray of drinks...I notice it every time...

Song I am listening to: A Lack Of Colour by Death Cab For Cutie