The unconscious self is the real genius. Your breathing goes wrong the moment your conscious self meddles with it.

–Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, 1903

The Painting at the top, Winterglide, is new, a 12″ by 12″ piece on panel that is going to be part of this year’s Little Gems show at the West End Gallery in early February.

I like the feel of this piece, its ease and coolness. For me, it’s like taking in a breath of cool air that instantly takes away the heat of an overstressed mind. That goes for the way it was painted as well. It came easily and without much thought. More instinctual than intellectual. Shaw’s line above seems to mesh well with how this painting appeared– my brain was pretty much left out of the equation.

I’ve been working lately with pieces that feature snow-covered rolls in the landscape. I find the process I employ in these pieces very meditative. Again, more instinctual, allowing me to get away from the thought process. It allows the colors carry the emotional feel of the piece. The whiten of the top snow layer both cools and unifies the underlying colors.

It kind of allows the eye to glide through the piece. That’s where the title, Winterglide, originated.

As I said, I like the feel of cool freshness in this painting. Like that cool breath, it steadies my thinking.

And sometimes that is all I need.

Here’s an appropriate Song for this week’s Sunday Morning Music. It’s the transcendent remake from KD Lang of the old Hollies song, The Air That I Breathe. For some unknown reason, I have only played a couple of KD Lang songs over the many years I’ve been doing this blog. It’s surprising because I am a big fan of her work and she has delivered some legendary — and I mean legendary–performances over her career. If you get a chance, listen to her Shadowland which she made with Owen Bradley, the producer of the late great Patsy Cline, whose voice, like Lang’s, was able to soar to emotional heights carrying us mere mortals along for a glorious ride.

Listen in a dark room if you can. Pure magic.

Give a listen and give your mind a rest this morning. Good stuff…