Dried Giant Sunflowers

Dear Friend,

I hope you all are doing well. Don’t let the other side of the world get you down. You cannot carry the burdens of the world. It is not for you to carry or you will be crushed by its immense weight.

Be kind to yourselves and to others around you first, and trust the Universe to let it do its thing. Drop your little pebble into the water, and observe its ripples. You are not alone. The butterfly effect will do its thing. All will be well.

This painting has been on the wall and the floor in different orientations for some years. Today I have decided that it is best in portrait orientation and signed it.

I grew these sunflowers outside the front of our townhouse some summers ago, they grew up to 9 feet tall, and their flowers were maybe 12 inches or more in diameter. They stood tall like guardians until a storm blew into town and knocked them over. Even in their state of decay, there is beauty and perfection.

Dried Giant Sunflowers

Oil on panel, 36 by 24 inches.

happy lunar new year, the year of the tiger

dear friend,

happy lunar new year, the year of the tiger. 

the pandemic is not over yet, but i think many people are adjusting to the harsh changes. even some are peacefully embracing it.

when the pandemic was declared in 2019, we kicked and screamed over the draconian precautions, and we were all very fearful. nevertheless, many people are adapting and progressing.

i am at peace with and unworried by this pandemic, but not in a careless way. it is a part of human evolution, and a necessary evil. that is if you wish to look at it as an evil thing.

buddhism speaks of change as a necessary aspect of the universe — change is a normal and an inevitable process; but we become miserable when we refuse to accept the changes happening around us. our fear and stubbornness limit our ability to progress into a higher level, and we become stagnant and miserable.

our behavior is understandable because we are, after all, humans, and humans are creatures of familiarity — we like to be in control, we like things to be constant and predictable, and anything otherwise is disruptive. we do not like changes forced upon us. alas, we do not make progress if we refuse to adapt. we are faced with the choice to either advance or fall far behind.

how about those who have made the transition? i am envious. i am at peace because death as we know it is not the end, it is a normal transition. our bodies are avatars, for a lack of a better word, that our spirits temporarily occupy in order to experience this physical life as we know it, its yin and yang.

there are over 7 billion human beings on this planet, and each one is on his/her own journey — that is, to experience life and to learn from it, to learn from each other, to help and support each other they meet along their journeys.

as we make our own journeys, we learn to treat each other with love — kindness, patience, compassion, forgiveness, empathy. i feel this pandemic has drawn out many more humans then before who have learned to express love for one another from this difficult lesson and experience. so there you go, another process of human evolution harshly brought on by this pandemic.

i am hopeful because the outcome could spawn a generation of more newly enlightened humans who are in the least, more kind to one another. perhaps in the next generation, these newly enlightened humans will influence companies and governments to build their businesses and policies on the foundations of kindness and compassion. i look forward to that day, but i am doubtful this transformation could happen in my lifetime. i am hopeful, but good and lasting things do not happen overnight. perhaps i will get to enjoy this future transformation in my next reincarnation.

in a world where you can be anything, be kind.

peace and love to you, my friend.

Love is beautiful, like the rainbow

Dear Friend,

i hope you all are healthy and safe. if you have come this far since the pandemic began, give yourself a pat on your back, you did it — you adapted to the abrupt changes. nobody likes changes and that is normal. we are humans, creatures of “normalcy”. but we all know that “Normality is a paved road. It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” – Vincent Van Gogh

meanwhile, sorry (not sorry) i do not have any new paintings to show off. maybe next year, and i am okay with it. but i have this to share with you.

i have been meditating every day in the mornings soon after i wake up, and in the evenings before i go to sleep. they are part of my creative process, and they also are part of my connection to Source — you can liken it to recharging your electronic devices.

a funny side effect of making art is that one becomes more attuned to stuff we humans could not immediately see, or notice, or feel. when my aunt in singapore wants to make a point she would nudge her glasses a bit down her nose bridge and look you in the eyes over her glasses and say, as though it was a question, like, ha-ha. so calling it a funny side effect is just an expression. ha-ha.

anyway, i have asked many times, what is love. we use this word so loosely — we say, i love this painting, i love this color, i love this sweater, i love this dessert, i love taylor swift, or i love this beach. really, what is this thing, love? a lyricist or a music composer writes for the love of it, a chef makes a dish for the love of it, or a painter paints for the love of it. my friend’s mother said this about any recipe, if you don’t put love into it, it will not turn out well. it will feel like it is missing something no matter how well you have followed the recipe.

so what is this thing, love?

Love is beautiful, like a rainbow.

every morning, as i put on each bracelet, i recite this mantra to myself. this is my daily minute-meditation to remind myself of what Unconditional Love is. no religion is required and no religious baggage, because Unconditional Love is the simplest law of the Universe. this simple practice starts my day on a positive note. it is a syncing-up with Source. it is a part of my creative process. everyone has at least a minute. try it, you will feel it. from left to right for each bracelet, a creative human construct:

Love is everything
beautiful like a rainbow

Love is kind
kindness is an expression of Love

Love is patient
patience is an expression of Love

Love is compassionate
compassion is an expression of Love

Love is forgiving
forgiveness is an expression of Love

and then i put on my watch: this is time, a human construct.

i will add more if i come across a bracelet that i like 😌

in a world where you can be anything, be loving. if you can’t love, then at least be kind, and the rest will follow.