"Doin' the Prep""

Wised up, tho, and gonna hire a painter . . .

Pain and the Artist by Charles

Pain and the Artist

I once believed that I could produce art by being witty, humorous and opaque.  I was an inscrutable voyeur who could make art out of anything if I just put enough paint on it.

But I was wrong.  Art is about your pain.  For years I was able to sidestep my own personal pain, making fun of it and went forward making forgettable work.

What I have learned is that I am a better artist when I stand up against my pain.  Being human is to be surrounded by pain.  Pain wraps about us like a thick blanket separating us from our spirit.  Pain blinds us from each other.  And when we cannot find words to describe our pain our lives are brought to an emotional standstill. 

The days when I fear my pain the most are the days that I can dig down into the numbing aching emotional terror and find the depth of my story.  I call it pushing against the pain.  The pain that makes us crazy is also the pain that can bring us clarity and purpose.  I just have to be brave enough to meet it head on.

Some days I have the strength to meet this challenge and some days I run away like a little boy.

I used to be clever enough to dodge my pain but I never did grow in my consciousness.  I was, as my wife notes, delusional. I was in denial and hoping my pain would just go away.

I need to address my Pain and meet it with purpose.  When I write I allow my pain to push against me and then I start to feel my shoulder pushing back into the body of my pain and this struggle with terror gives life to my art.

Painting Spring 2010

It's been a long time without painting, a long time since the Alger-Minoan paintings of two years ago.  Although I have been having fun pushing paint around this Spring, it's only in the last few days that I've caught a stride, at least a little bit.  Here are a couple of paintings that I've finished and one (the one with the white block-outs) that I have in work.

Slavko's Awesome Project

(Ed: Slavko is building a second story home onto his rental building in Solin above Split. His place in Milna is so tiny,especially now that he is married to Nada.)

"We have spent whole April in Solin, busy with the building as you can see in the photos. The walls and the concrete terrace are done for now, and it takes a few weeks to dry, so the poles and supporting beams can be removed. Everything went smooth, with no trouble at all, by the end of summer planing to install the windows, doors, and finish the roof. Milna was a dusty town for some time, and finally yesterday the final coat of asphalt is done. I have washed with hose the streets around me, so terrible it was..."

Meanwhile, In the Desert

One of our rituals while visiting with Tom and Dee down in Palm Desert, CA this winter, was to climb a ladder onto their roof, martini balanced carefully in hand, to watch the sun set.  Now, darned if they haven't made it all civilized with a new spiral stair and iron rails on top.  Still a great view, however.

Saturday Night at the Mosque

Our friend, Abdulah efendija Polovina, imam at the new Bosnian mosque in Shoreline.  Shown with the Srebenica quilt that Julia has helped display around the area. 

Hooray! Byron Hurd graduated from college!

"Hooray! Byron graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Math and Science from West Chester University. He majored in Biology.

He will be staying with us this summer as he studies for his Dental School entrance exams.

 If you would like to write to wish him well, 106 Fair Ave, Hanover, PA  17331"

Best,

Tim and Lynne Hurd

(JRH::  That guy looks rightfully proud!!!!!  Congratulations, Byron!!!)

Sunset at Lori and John's Place

And tomorrow's is her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Lori!!!!

Computer Catastrophe

Crashed hard.  Lost data and applications.  Spent several days into wee hours trying to restore.  If I missed a message, please resend.  Ow.

Spring at our place.

Spring Milestone

The Great May Day Garage Sale!