Growing and Misfortune.

There is a wonderful feeling as the new season of growth comes upon us, that feeling of new beginnings and hope. The ground no longer solid with frost is beginning to yield to the spade. There is the joy of deciding what kind of crops will be grown. The varieties chosen may depend on what has grown well in the past. Talking with an old friend, he was telling me that as he gets older he finds the turning of the soil harder each year and also the amount of produce he requires gets less. Yet he looks forward to the planting and the tending of his crop. Like me he gets pleasure from being able to give to others the fruits of his labour.


There is a lovely story of the traveller who on his journey came across an old man planting a tiny almond tree. Now almond trees take a long time to grow and mature to the point of giving fruit. The traveller said to the old man, “I am surprised to see one as old as you planting such a tree that will take so long to produce.” The old man looked at him, thought for a moment, and then replied, “I live my life on two principles. The first one is that I will live forever. The second one is that this is my last day.”

Who ever knows if they will see the fruits of their labour? But then if they do not some other will. The seed planted or the small tender shoot is unaware of whom it is that is planting and caring for it. Its purpose is to grow.

There was an old farmer who owned a horse, to help him plough the land. One day the horse ran away. The farmers’ neighbours came to offer their sympathy. The old farmer shook his head, “I am not sure it is a misfortune,” he said. The neighbours not understanding left. The next day his horse returned bringing with it two wild horses. The neighbours returned to congratulate him on his good fortune. “I am not at all sure it is good fortune,” he replied. Again they left bemused.

The old farmers’ son was trying to tame one of the horses and was kicked and his leg was broken. Again the neighbours came to offer sympathy for his misfortune. Again he replied saying, “I am not sure it is a misfortune.” They thought he was going mad.

The next day the Emperor came past the farm looking for young men to be part of his army to help him fight a war. The farmers’ son could not go because of his broken leg.

We never know what tomorrow will bring so we live today as if it is our last, but we live it as if we were going to live forever.

So today I will attempt to produce to the best of my ability whether it is in painting or digging. In preparing or finishing. I know that whatever I do this day will have its repercussions.

This is the way of Tao.

The Story of the Art used on this thought can be seen at:- Coming Home To Roost

The Hairdressers Comb.

Going to the hairdresser for me is like going to the dentist. I am not at all sure which I would rather have, a tooth pulled or a haircut. But as I watched her cut my hair I was aware that in her hands the scissors and comb were very different from the same implements in my hand.

In seconds she had already started to bring order out of chaos. When I comb my hair it makes little difference yet when she pulls the comb through it and snips a little here and a little there order begins to reign.

The comb has been around for over five thousand years found by archaeologists in Persia. Those first known combs are not much different from those we carry around today in handbag or pocket. There have been throughout history some very decorative and expensive examples but basically they are all the same. A row of teeth equally spaced. There are those who refuse to comb their hair, rather they let it grow into dreadlocks. I am assured it is natural and very hygienic, but it is not for me. I may like it long, (in the opinion of some far too long) but I like to be able to draw a comb through it.

It is also amazing how functional and long lasting they are. I have lost many, but I cannot say I have ever worn one out. How marvellous they are, and they have much to tell us about life and living. They bring order from chaos; the artist strives to do the same from the chaos of paint and other items they bring beauty and order. The comb is a humble instrument and a survivor. The artist must be humble in the face of creation and the majesty of the universe, to produce something that will survive the ages and bring meaning and pleasure to others. The comb has its teeth but it does not bite, the artist gently and quietly portrays their inner message and leaves others to listen or ignore. The comb in the hands of the artist, like the hairdresser, can make marvellous marks in texture and paint.

The way Tao is to bring order from distress, peace out of ravage, harmony from chaos. Those who follow Tao do so simply by adding to the marvel of creation, never destroying but being at one with all around.

The hairdresser weaves her art, simply and humbly, and brings joy to many day in and day out.

Such is the way of Tao.

My thoughts, comments and method of construction of the art above can be found at:-
Autumnal Abstract

Walking and Running

Spring brings thoughts of longer days and daylight runs. If you have ever gone running in the streets you will be aware of the many hazards that this activity brings with it. The unseen potholes ready to trip you up, the dogs that run at you and frighten the life out of you. Then there are those who either cannot run or choose not to run or who are too lazy to make the effort but still feel they have to shout comments at those who do. The favourite seems to be, “Keep on running.” It used to annoy me but no more. Now if they shout that at me I am just so happy that they notice I am not walking.


Hold that thought in your mind.

Every year the new intake of students where I taught would have heard enough about Mr. T. to know that he could take a joke, so there was always some who wanted to point out my white hair and their youth. My way of overcoming this was to lay down the challenge of a race, a short but hilly six miles. There was always the odd few who were foolish enough to try. One year was different. On my giving out the challenge a voice was heard to say, “Don’t be silly, he took my big brother out for a run and he was in bed for two days after it.”

Hold that thought in your mind.

I remember running with a very good athlete on a training run. As we ran he said, “This is lovely you should always run at a pace where it is still possible to hold a conversation.” I replied, “I hope you notice then that this is a one sided conversation.”

Hold that thought in your mind.

Now have you noticed what I have done? You are now trying to hold three thoughts in your head and wondering what one to think about first. You are now multi-tasking with the brain. I am sure you all know that multi-tasking is a female thing; men don’t do multi-tasking. So I am continually informed.

The Toa says when you walk, walk, when you run, then run. In other words, one thing at a time and that one thing to the best of your ability. Who am I to suggest that multi-tasking is not possible. But if something is to be done to the very best of ones ability it requires all of the thought process for that one action. If the artist is to produce a meaningful piece of art then it calls for the full interaction of the artist with the work in hand. Recently I was struggling with two paintings. A fellow artist said, “Lay one aside and just look at the one.” So simple but it worked both were soon completed. If this is true for the artist it is true for everything else in life. One thing at a time done well.

This is the way of the Tao.

Masters and Learners

There are a large number of cookery programmes available to view in the weekly television schedules. Many of these programmes take the format of the masters sharing their knowledge and in the process achieve the status of celebrity. The ones I prefer to watch are those where the cooks are not the masters. They cook and are judged by the masters who make comment and decide which cooks progress to the next round and who go no further. The mistake made by many of these cooks is that they try to impress too much and flood the plate with so many flavours that the palette is in a whirl. The person who progresses is so often the one who had only two or three items that could each be savoured and tasted to the full.


It is not only in cooking that this is true. I remember our annual flower festival. Flowers were arranged on a theme with each floral artist making their own interpretation. Those new to flower arranging had large numbers of blooms for their arrangements, others just two or three magnificent blossoms. One arrangement I remember vividly was one that contained only one bloom some greenery and some lovely bark and twigs. I can still see that arrangement vividly as if it was only yesterday, such was its impact.

Often at momentous occasions in life people feel the need to express their inner feelings in words. Maybe it is a poem about a loved one who has died, or a recitation about the bride or the groom at a wedding. So often these poems are lengthy and very wordy. I remember clearly though one such that spoke volumes in four lines and no rhyme.

I remember one summer when I was on vacation visiting attending a church service. The preacher was not long out of university. As we were leaving the church he recognised me and asked my opinion on his conduct of the service. I gave him my honest opinion, it was excellent but he had enough material in his children’s talk and sermon to get three of each. he needed to be more selective.

The artist so often feels the need to paint and paint. Long after they have reached the point where the painting is making a full and wonderful statement we continue to dab and change and tinker. We feel the need to add just a bit more detail another tree or flower, more grass, another pattern and often worse, another colour.

When I look at the work of Turner I see everything and yet there are so few brush strokes. The masters had that magnificent ability to express much with just the odd dab of paint. I on the other hand often feel the need for one more flourish. I am told by many other artists they have the same tendency.

Those who follow the Tao know when to be spare in what they do and to seek quality. They know that little is often more.

Happiness in Order

The young boy arrived home from school to be greeted by his mother. “Well how did school go today she asked?” “It was ok,” he replied. “And what did you do at school today?” “Nothing very much,” answered the boy. “You must have had something interesting,” retorted the mother. “Well we got this story about Moses,” he said. “Moses was trying to escape the Egyptians and they were being chased in the desert. The Egyptians had their fighter jets and they were strafing the escaping Israelites. They had to move fast because the Egyptian tanks were catching up. The came to this big river and Moses got his men to build a Bailey Bridge over the river. When it was built they all crossed and then when the Egyptian tanks were trying to cross they blew up the bridge and sank all the tanks.” “They did not tell you that,” said the mother. “No,” said the boy “but if I told you what they told me you would never believe it.”


How we try to make our lives more interesting. A small exaggeration here and a little fib there. Stories over time get more dramatic, conversations take on an extra turn or two. We do not mean any badness we just want it to all sound more interesting.

A Taoist was looking for happiness. He had thought of all sorts of things that might bring him happiness but to no avail. He sought out a sage and asked him if he could help him to find the answer to his search. As if he was ignoring his question the sage asked him. “Did you have your breakfast this morning?” “Yes answered the seeker, I did have breakfast.” “And did you wash your bowl when you were finished?” asked the sage. The seeker wondered why when he had asked such an important question he was being asked this, but replied, “Yes master I washed the bowl.” “Good,” said the sage,” and did you wash it well?”

It was then that the seeker after happiness realised that he was being told the answer to his question was to be found in the mundane tasks of every day. That by doing everything to the best of ones ability one will find happiness in everything.

I found cleaning up after working long on a painting such a terrible chore. I have a friend who hates painting the edges of box canvases and put the task off till she has a bundle of them waiting to be done. I have another friend who hates sorting out the inevitable bundle of pastels lying around his easel at the end of a pastel work.

Taoism tells us we can and should find value in every task. The chore of cleaning brushes becomes a joy, when you see it as not the end of a painting, but the first preparatory step to the next one. The same with cleaning paint pots away. Cleaning and putting back pastels allows you to enjoy the colours and to begin thinking of when you will use them next.

It all takes effort, but it is so easy to fall into lazy habits and lazy thought patterns, and this can so easily be the first steps to negative thinking. See each thing we do for what it is, and how it is, and do to the very best, then be still and happiness will follow as surely as night follows day.

This is the way of Tao.