The Painter.
There is no beginning and there is no end.
All of Life, in its broadest sense is ever-changing, ever-evolving, ever moving forward.
We, in our essence, grow in wisdom and knowledge, not in words, but recorded in our Soul as feelings and emotions - for all time.
****
Many years ago I studied in private lessons with a modern portrait
painter called John Cavanagh. He was a man of tremendous energy,
always rushing about here and there.
He taught me to paint a portrait in oils, on canvas, in one hour!
"But John", I said, "I can't possibly do a portrait in
an hour....."
"Do it, do it, do it" he would say, "anything
after that is just embellishment, icing on the cake".
"What you have captured" he said, "is the essence of
that person - as seen by you.
It does not matter what others see - what YOU see is important".
"But John, it may be out of proportion, or clumsy, or ugly, not
like the person. Others may not like it".
"If you want a likeness, then go and use a camera" he
answered. "The painting will provoke an emotion in the viewer -
happy, sad, recognition, horror even - it doesn't matter which - the
essential is the emotion, the feeling".
And so I learned.
I also learned that shadows are not grey, they are coloured by
something that is nearby.
I learned that skin is not pink, it is coloured by its environment -
the room, the open sky, the sunset.
****
Spirit sees us in our essence, without embellishment, without the dressings, no frills!
The emotions and feelings that we provoke in others are a reflection of ourselves, and the things by which we are seen by Spirit.
We are not plain, but coloured by those around us, our own thoughts, our effect on our surroundings and our brothers and sisters in Life.
It does not matter whether we are fat or thin, good-looking or ugly, abled or disabled.
In essence we are a spark of light, and the brighter the spark glows, the more our light will illuminate the lives of others.
****
Even then, at that time, I was concerned that I could only capture a
fleeting moment in the life of the sitter.
I painted a portrait - "The Three Faces of Maggie" - that
showed the three sides of the personality of the sitter (the dinner
lady from the College, I think) but even then, although it was hung
in 'pride of place' for 'Student of the Year' it was still only a
moment of time.
The 'now' that was, then.
****
All there ever is, is the 'now'. Tomorrow is another painting, another portrait. We have changed, we have evolved, we have moved forward.
Let us strive to ensure that tomorrows portrait is more illuminating than the yesterdays 'now'.
Let us change.
Let us evolve.
We must move forward.
We must light the World.
****
Extract of Philosophical talk given to the Lynwood
Fellowship at Cober Hill, Scarborough
in October, 1998.
© Gordon L Bagshaw, 1998.
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