The Barn

Alan has asked me to experiment with writing a new post on the new site. I will record some of my initial reactions to the new space.
I am used to playing with my art stuff in the barn. The barn was always dusty and smelled like wet soil and horses. The floor in the barn had holes in it. Not only could you fall in the holes if you became  too focused on your canvas and absentmindedly  backed up for a longer view, but the holes welcomed other sentient beings to join you in the space. There was no need to feel alone in the barn. The ceiling was high and dark and the home to all sorts. The cats would stalk more than sleep when they visited me there. All the light entered by way of the open stall doors, so with the light came the wind and the rain. The wind blew the paper on the easel and chased leaves across the floor. There was no need to “clean up” much. It would never be clean. It would always be a space that was more outside than inside. So there was no need to worry about flaws.

The barn was imperfection. Perfect work would have looked out of place in this space. I love this kind of space….a space that is all forgiveness. I could listen to my music too loud, sit on hay bails and drink too much wine, throw paint, let energy stream down my arm until it reached the paper uncensured, return and do it again and again and again until it really felt done. The space was wild and free.
When I had to leave my barn last year, I needed to find another space to play in. My new home could not accommodate the throwing of paint.

 That is when I started my blog. A friend convinced me that this could be my “barn”. And this old blog did become a space that was all forgiveness too. I was able to express without censure in this space. How was that possible when it was so exposed and my barn was so private? I made sure to place the images just off center. …and everything needed to go up….no value assigned….just stapled to the wall of the barn.  It had to be imperfection, to meet the genuine quality that I was looking for.

So now an even more sophisticated space…..all dressed up in shiny suit looking so trendy and sophisticated and I am still standing here with wine on the front of my shirt and paint dripping from my fingers on to the floor.  I am already trying to decide how I will put the images up straight. I am not sure I am very comfortable with this space. It is a long way from the barn. I will need to find a way to mess up the corners and make the colours too bright. It will be a challenge to make this perfect space forgiving. We will see how it proceeds.

 I will not check the spelling or punctuation….I think that is a good way to begin.