Pix n' paints

For me, writing is relief. A thought comes to mind and begins to grow. Words gush and swirl like a river in a storm. Writing gets it all out of my head and down on paper where it’s more manageable.

But sometimes I get wound too tight, or worse, my mind just goes blank.

Painting and photography help me unravel.

“It can be enormously satisfying,” said novelist Walter Rhein, “to put away your typewriter, grab your brushes and splash that frustrating, infinite emptiness with vibrant color. It is one of the few activities that engages creativity without my mind getting bogged down by sentences or words.”

Now and again, I grab my camera, head for the zoo and search for characters—not the cast of a novel, but characters like these two. Good guys? Bad guys? Married couple? Spies?

What's he thinking?

Photos like these help clear my mind with their order and strength.

Or I swap my camera for canvas, paints and brushes.

Once, I wound up with Adam and Eve, arguing as they were driven out of the Garden after they sinned.

Another time, I wound up with Moby Dick.

The moment between the dying earth and the new heaven and earth.

Gossips.

Every time I look at this one, it still evokes the smell of saltwater and old wood.