stretching the 78x26” canvas this morning
6:46 PM: today i stretched a new 78x26” linen canvas for the second painting in this series, inspired by the great 18th c. painter/calligrapher, taiga. taiga is a contemporary energy, period. a timeless energy. he was ahead of his time, totally immersed in his time, a true painters painter. he had a major exhibition last year at rge kyoto museum. i am envisioning a show in japan, perhapds kyoto, showing these new works that will bring taiga into the 21st century. as if he needed it!
stretching a 78x26” canvas is tricky. at those dimensions, there’s a tendency for the canvas to form creases, so i had to remove some of the staples & re-stretch portions of the canvas. in the end, it’s tight as a drum and presents a beautiful surface to work on tomorrow.
on the other hand, WTF, i wonder, am i going to do tomorrow morning? ah, but isn’t that the not knowing i say i’m so in love with? yeah, but….walking up the trail a few hours ago, observing mind boggling beauty on all sides, in my head i sang songs i remembered from birchwoods, the magnificent camp i attended from the age of 5 to 16. read about it on my story page:
i thought of my dad as i sang, in my head, swing low sweet chariot. hear paul robeson sing it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSb273c9tm4
so why, i wondered this morning, why am i doing this? is it really going to move anyone? will it change their lives? will it feed their souls? i don’t mean to sound meldramatic, but, at the age i’ve reached, you start wondering about these things.