Both Sides Now

Hearing Joni Mitchell sing “Both Sides Now” as an older woman just made me smile and cry at the same time. Why? I’ll share. But first, here’s a link for new readers who might want to know about more about this painterly blog and post.

Why Both Sides Now

First I love hearing Joni Mitchell singing this as an older woman. I love the depth and resonance of her voice. And, I love how she just “is” who she is as she sings it. There is so much wisdom here. And, it’s timelessness is so lovely. Don’t we creative people all strive to create something so simple and beautiful and timeless, too?

On One Side

I’m also writing this after having walked (danced) through the process of painting and preparing for a show this month. Now that I am on the other side of this experience, I feel different and the same. What’s different? I haven’t been able to paint because of having to promote, prepare for and be present at the opening. And, I’m glad that I am back in the studio painting again.

I also feel as if I could hide out in a cave for a month. Why? Because I want to experiment and try new paintings ideas. I want to have that flexibility.

On the Other Side

It’s also daunting to post on social media everyday for six weeks. This is something that other professional artists suggested I do leading up to the opening. Initially I cringed at the thought. But I got some really helpful feedback and questions from people along the way.

The questions were from people who wanted to know more about the show and had I not posted that frequently, I may not have gotten these inquiries. So, yay for that advice. I’m glad I got it. But I still want to dash into that cave.

Why Hide in A Cave

Well, let’s take this color sketch, for instance. It’s from imagination. But it represents a place in my mind. It’s a place where there are trees and ocean views. I want to create more of these kinds of views. But I also have other ideas that I can’t even put into words. I just know that they are there.

So here’s the latest color sketch. But I’m not sure it’s representative of what I would like to paint moving forward. There’s a braver side somewhere out there that I would like to enlist. What does braver side mean? I’m not sure but it involves texture and bolder brush strokes.

We shall see what happens, eh?

What Are Both Sides Now

Hey, that’s a really good question! If I could live and paint on both sides, I would take two opposing values or ideas and strive to create paintings of each. One way to do this would be to take Monet’s approach. He, as you know, would take the same scene and paint it at different times of day and/or different seasons. For instance, if I recall correctly, he painted 25 different paintings of haystacks; each one delicious and delightful. That’s one way to create images of both sides.

Or another approach might be to create paintings of those moments that we all have. You know, the moments when we’re in the midst of an everyday task, and we just pause. I recently read about that moment in one of Hopper’s paintings. The timelessness of this painting is the image of a person taking a moment from a task and looking off into the distance. We’re not sure what the person is seeing but haven’t we all done that? Here’s that image called Pennsylvania Coal Town by Hopper.

Which Side Is Better

On a recent quest to find a sought after landscape book at a used bookstore, I came across books with collections of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. Talk about a person who lived and painted both sides. I’m still in search of that aforementioned landscape book but couldn’t resist “The Helga Pictures.” Here’s the portrait of Helga. It’s so alluring and unusual and beautiful, don’t you think?

I love this quote of Andrew Wyeth’s from the same book, “The way I feel about things is so much better than the way I’ve been able to paint them. The image I had in my head before I started is not quite – never quite – completely conveyed in paint.”

Whoa! If this mighty American painter said this about his paintings, I can only imagine what they would look like if they did match his feelings!

More Questions Than Answers

If there’s one message I hear in Joni Mitchell’s song “Both Sides Now,” it’s that we each live our lives and end up experiencing more questions than answers. And, this seems to be relevant to the paintings I include from Monet, Hopper and Wyeth, too. The more we look at them, the more we potentially see and wonder.

You know I am curious to hear about what you think, gentle reader! What do you think of “Both Sides Now?” How about these paintings. Do any of them resonate with you? If so, which ones and why? Please do share your thoughts in the comments below. And, thank you so much for reading here today.