"A Day on the Water"
"The things that make us happy make us wise."
Such a thought John Crowley eases into a sleepy man's mind in "Little Big." It's a puzzle that befuddles.
What brings happiness to most people? Ice cream. Laughter from a child. Flowers and spring leaves. Young love. Old love. Turning a bad deal for a loved one into a good deal for a loved one.
When I create art I often want to make "nothing" into "something." This brings me happiness. I'm not sure if it brings me wisdom. I sometimes have no idea what wisdom is. Is it detachment from outcome... just a sense of what is right and true for any situation? Perhaps it is that inner, inner voice that sighs, "Ah. Yes. This."
The above piece of art felt right to me. It made me happy in its creation as I frolicked with the figures and lines and abstract thoughts. If wisdom is defined (by the dictionary) as using one's knowledge, then I suppose the wisest thing I could say is that the greatest pleasure I will ever have with this piece of art was had as I created it, finding a blob that I turned into a bug, a shape that became a boat, a splash that became a sail, a dash a curious bird. The greatest happiness was in the searching and the finding and the creating of images that I recognize and know about.
And I suppose a further wisdom would be "make more of same if this makes you happy." It's not the same as eating ice cream, but while drawing I often can imagine the laughter of children at play and I most definitely see delicately petaled thoughts spring from the page to perhaps lighten a loved one's day.
"A Day on the Water" Pen/brush and ink on questionable paper to add spice to the surf.
Posts
