Painting and more painting. Seeking new ideas all the time. What strikes me as the most unusual aspect of this process is that at times the ideas just flood in and must be acted upon right away. It is almost as though it is like the rain on the Savannah during which all of the life that was parched and withering comes rushing back to life in all it's magnificent splendor. A time to work and a time to observe and feel the life around us.

    Still working on my reworked canvas. It is taking time because I am thinking of the last two important elements that will make it come to life. It is always worth the time to know what is going to go where. This does depends on what type of painting and content you want. Sometimes it all just comes to you but for me I never push it and it does come to me - ready to go.

   One of the most cerebral parts of the painting mosaic is knowing when to put down the brush. A twist on this theme is reworking a painting that maybe was put down and forgotten or you just want to use the canvas and rework the image. 

   There is a history there. There are reasons why you chose the image and what colors you used to bring this first canvas to life. It feels good to take a seat and stare at the old work before you begin the new. It is a reminder of what was happening in your life at that time. It is a way of having your own private "shrink" session between you and it. There is always a gold mine of material in every work.

   I rarely do this but for some reason I am reworking two canvases from the nineties that I rediscovered and saw a new life for both of them.

   It is about 5:10 am and I just finished a three and a half hour session. I have always painted at night. It is my favorite time to work.

BBC Earth Explorer

    I have spent the last couple of hours writing to the California State Assembly and the Senate to oppose the proposed new gun laws that the uninformed are trying to bring up to a vote as a "political" solution to the problems of gun violence in California. 

    There are several factors that must be taken into consideration before one makes a judgement about these proposed laws.

    First and foremost is the fact that no one really wants to take on the real problem of gun violence because most people understand that it would involve taking on minority groups that favor gang violence. This is not a "politically correct" position but it is the one with the most teeth. Gangs do not care about laws particularly gun laws. They will get guns no matter what laws are passed in California.

   The second factor is that this is an attack on the Second Amendment rights of responsible citizens in the state of California.

   These attacks on gun laws are lead by a political agenda that has decided that "it" knows better than people who understand and use guns what is good for them.

   What is most frustrating is that so many anti-gun people know nothing about guns and have never even fired a weapon but "they think they know" and that ignorance is just not acceptable to a law abiding citizen. 

    I did just complete and post to my website (www.laughingminotaur.com) a new painting, a triptych based upon a quote from Cormac McCarthy from his book "Blood Meridan" about war waiting for man. The idea has intrigued me for a long time so I put it to the canvas. McCarthy's idea is so potent because it challenges all of our perceptions and ideas of peace. Peace does not just come about. It must take into account that great line from Alfred Tennyson "...nature red in tooth and claw" which harks back to our evolutionary nature which we cannot afford to keep out of the discussion.

    This is why I paint - to attempt to give ideas a shape, a form, something we stare at and wonder.

    New to this idea of blogging. I am very interested in having people with similar interests comment and even those who see the world another way are more than welcome to weigh in on all of the subjects. I will be posting much more about me and getting my site up to speed very soon. 

    I am an artist (www.laughingminotaur.com), a big reader, a surfer (live right across the street from some of the best breaks in Santa Cruz California), and I am also a gun collector and target shooter. Keeping fit is also something I value for health and mind reasons.

   That is all for now.