From the outside looking in,
the cleansing of the studio might look
like cleaning up the mess from
the last time paint flew around the room.
It might seem like straightening up
the living room after a wild party.
Doing the dishes may come to mind,
scrubbing the pots and pans.
These are fair assumptions and associations,
for someone looking at what is going on
from the outside.
In fact, more is at work than clearing away
and picking up. The smudge stick and
charcoal that melts the myrrh into
heavy smoke gives it all away.
It is a purification, even a sanctification,
if you will, a ritual that permits new work
to
enter
into
the studio,
once the old work has been chased away.
I am preparing to paint again.
It is always this way for me.
There is nothing to see until you see it.
Sandy Kinnee