Love may be an addiction, but itās at the heart of everything we do. Happy Valentineās Day!
 |
|
Birthday, 1915, Marc Chagall, courtesy Museum of Modern Art
|
Yesterday I quit drinking coffee. This wasnāt my choice; it was on the advice of my medical professional. Heās loads of fun; this regimen also precludes alcohol, sugar, wheat and dairy. None of those other things caused me a momentās trouble, but the coffee? Iāve been drinking it since I was nine years old. I like the taste, the smell, the buzz. Coffee is a very mild stimulant, I thought, and dropping it out of my diet should be no big deal.
Wrong. I have withdrawal symptoms in spades: headache, tremors, and the need to sleep forever. I looked out at the snow piling up in the driveway, said a bleary āfuggetaboutitā and cancelled my appointment for the afternoon.
 |
|
Two Lovers Beneath an Umbrella in the Snow, color woodblock print, c. 1767, Suzuki Harunobu, courtesy Art Institute of Chicago
|
Clearly, coffee is a much bigger player in my biochemistry than I thought. Itās clearly a physical addiction, but itās one Iāve never paid attention to. That got me wondering what other habits are running in the background, messing with the fine-tuning of my operating system.
When Iām on the road, I can be outside in the field painting by the time the sun clears the trees. My blog is written, Iām showered, my lunchāsuch as it isāis made, and my gear is set up. Why, then, does it take me until late morning to get into my studio at home? Iām not lazy; in fact, Iām pretty darned disciplined.
 |
|
The Cradle, 1872, Berthe Morisot, courtesy MusĆ©e d’Orsay
|
Itās this infernal machine Iām holding in my hands. Much of what it shoots at me is chaff, but some things are important. Is there a way to quit my computer like I quit coffee? I donāt think so.
āBack when I first decided to become a painter, of my āartā time, I spent 80% of it painting and 20% on marketing. Now, a couple of decades later, I spend 20% on painting and 80% on marketing,ā lamented Michael Chesley Johnsonyesterday. I feel his pain.
Thatās not all I do on this machine. I use my computer to ātalkā to my friends, read the news, and keep in contact with my adult kids and grandkids. But those are things I enjoy. Relationship is programmed into our minds; our systems rise to it like fish to a lure.
On the other hand, thatās what I said about coffee.
 |
|
The Resurrection, Cookham, 1924ā7, Sir Stanley Spencer, courtesy the Tate
|
Next week, Iām going to gum up my productivity still farther, by having my grandchildren here for the week. Weāll go see if Little Bear is still sleeping, take a twirl or two on our skates, and visit the beach. All painting will be with tempera on a very short easel.
Love may be an addiction, but itās the heart of living. Happy Valentineās Day!