This painting was 16 years in the making, but it all came together in one amazing instant this past August. Simply put, this is one of my best creations.
Five years ago when I started painting these, the idea came to mind that I would paint something some day for my dear friend David. Painting comes far more naturally to me than writing does (I wish I could write as easily as I paint), and I have always wanted to paint David something that not only represented him, but also represented my appreciation for his continued encouragement, compassion, and friendship. I could go on and on about what an inspiration he has been in my life, but words simply can’t do it justice, and you can’t just thank someone as wonderful as David for being in your life and expect that to be good enough. Besides, sometimes a picture can lock into place what we cannot encapsulate with words alone.
However, I was at a complete loss as to what to paint. How do you paint a single picture for someone who has had the greatest and most positive influence in your life? How do you capture Connection, Spirit, Inspiration, Wisdom, Encouragement, Enthusiasm, Validation, Non-duality, Inner-luminosity, Unconditional Love and Support, not to mention the all important 3-day corduroy trains-of-thought, into one single painting? So I put the idea on a shelf in the back of my head, dusted it off from time to time, and waited some more… and painted some more. I think I needed to find my own form and balance first, and then I’d be ready. I knew that the image would come to me eventually, and that would be the right time for the painting to be born.
You know… I had a really good reason for coming up with this name while I was painting this one. But, akin to the fellow who first discovered insulin… I forgot to write down why it is that name struck me. I can tell you, I’m sure it was something brilliant. This is in my living room.