Painting feverishly

So today I have been painting the whole day and I have taken a much needed break to write this. When I start painting I get engrossed in the work, I forget to eat, (the last time I did seven large paintings in a row, I lost weight), so I wonder if I need to find a more non-indulgent way to make art. But when I don't obsess about a work of art it turns out flat, with no soul. And I should know because I have tried my hand at everything, well a few things. Sculpture, pottery, jewellery, even fashion which I sucked at (I can't stitch straight). What was missing in all these things was the passion. Now, my painting is so passionate that I paint even when I am totally worn out, like I am now. If I didn't have my research and a four year old to raise I would gladly become the recluse, crazily-dressed artist. But I also love life too much to get lost in the art. I need to go dancing (though I haven't done too much of that lately thanks to my current living arrangements), I love to dress up, meet new people, socialize. For that, I need to look good.

Muse 1

Holed up in my flat, I think of all the people I have met, and I am amazed at how they have touched my life in different ways. I did the 'Muse' as I was thinking of one such person. Someone I hardly knew and will probably never see again but who told me a story worth many paintings.

And now I look for such stories everywhere but not all stories are equal. Like the story of Stellenbosch, my new found home. I have tried unsuccessfully to tell the story of this town. But maybe I need to soak it in a bit more and find a different way to tell the story. For now, I am still on the Rio case with my Samba series which are almost done.

( I need to finish them by the weekend so that I can sober up for a crucial meeting with the admission board next week).