“I am not who I was

I am not going to be who

I was going to be.”

This line of poetry by Joseph Pintauro succinctly describes our situation in 2020. Few things have been as we expected. We have adapted and changed. We are intimate with uncertainty. Similarly, artists know that every painting goes its own way, which is what makes art-making interesting!

I’ve heard that De Chirico could only paint when surprised by a random arrangement of objects, and eighth-century Wang P’o mo drunkenly splashed ink on paper, spreading it with his top-not, smearing with his feet and hands simultaneously. He was so in harmony with nature that the result was a convincing landscape ( hmmm no examples have survived)!

Thank you to those who bought paintings last month. It means so much to me to have your support during this isolated time. I continue painting, teaching, and consulting.

Thank you all for staying connected and taking the time to read this.

We are finding our way through these challenging times separately and together. I am especially grateful to the essential workers and health care workers who risk their lives each day for us. As my 95-year-old mom said to me on zoom today, “This time is showing us what’s important.”

I will be sending out a mailing each month like this one. Please let me know if you have any questions or content you would like me to cover.

This month’s question is from Oregon USA:

“I’m curious about your path back to identifying as Joan…”

Joseph Pintauro was a poet and playwright born in Queens, NY (as I was.) He became a priest and then left the priesthood to pursue a life in the arts. This quote is from his book: To Believe in Things.