Nothing worthwhile painted this week. I keep thinking I’m getting close, as I do now, without making any progress. I’ve been through this before. It is just a matter of continuous effort and the results will take care of themselves. The painting above is one of the few abstract paintings I’ve done in years past that I like. I did it, and several others, after a summer paddling the north shore of Lake Superior.

I’ve put aside, perhaps indefinitely, a book I’ve been working on — Meditations on Nature: The Beauty of Wild Places, a book that was over 90% complete — to focus on creating a series of quarterly journals. On each two-page spread of these journals, and there is one two-page spread for each day of the year, the right hand side page is divided into five, one for this year and each of the following four years. By recording your thoughts on your current situation, your challenges, successes, opportunities, concerns you’ll be able to track over time the evolution of your life. In particular, patterns that may not be obvious to you will be revealed. This holds huge significance as we work to create a unique life on our own terms.

Below, a mock up of a two page spread.

I plan to create eight of these, one for each quarter for both A Pause for Beauty (a life journal) and Nurturing the Song Within (a creativity journal). Each will have several variations from low-cost digital versions to binder editions (the pages are 8.5 x 11 inches) to double wire-o bound like the Nurturing Diary.

More here.

You can download a journaling page here or by clicking on the image below the two page mock up.

Work by an artist that I’ve been studying this week:

Chang Cheng Wei, Abstract Artist of Taiwan

This artist’s abstract work captures some deep spiritual element, and, in the process, motion. More here.