Trusting the process

I have been experimenting quite a lot recently. Trying to find a path. Trying new colour ways, new styles, new everything. But I always come back to the same place. I have a distinct colour pallette I like to use. Paynes Grey, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Dark Gold Hue, Silver Hue and lashings of Titanium White. Very occassionally a touch of red or cyan creep in just to lift certain areas. But basically that is it. Paynes Grey is the most wonderful bluey almost black, that gives depth without being heavy. The Raw Sienna and Raw Umber are sooooo earthy, and the gold and silver are there because I live in Essex.

Layer upon layer.

 This all takes time !

Still working on lining paper at this point. I have a yachtsman's all weather chart of the river Colne lying on the table. The shape of the river meandering past Brightlingsea and Mersea Island up towards Wivenhoe is lovely.

Not sure where to go with this, I start to write 'Namu dai bosa' over and over again on the land. It took an entire afternoon, but wonderfully emptied the mind.

 Next was the sea: 'My heart is a thousand years old, I am not like other people'...in white ink. This is fast turning into my version of a mandala.
Snippets from an old book were cut out and I started to lay them along the footpaths I had walked. It became confused and messy. So that idea was abadoned and I discarded the piece of paper.
Time to start on a proper canvass.

 Live your adventure, is the working title for this next piece. Funnily enough I have had encountered a few instances this week where I have been forced to 'trust the process'. An encounter (albeit virtually) with someone I haven't seen in years, highlighted just this. She and husband have been transported from uncertainty in London to an exciting new venture in the Far East, all they had to do was to trust the process and opportunities opened up. I guess we also have to learn to do that with the not so good things that spring up from time to time too.

Same theme, as on the paper, this time on a largish 70x100cm canvass. Much in the way of musings. Thoughts meander their way accross the land and sea.

Not finished !