Seven painting ©, 11" x 15", mixed media
Today's meltdown of the stock market and oil exploding over $11 a barrel was a little distracting, to say the least. I added a "widget" to the site for news, because it's impossible for me to divorce myself from what's going on in the world. The anxiety of worrying whether I'll be living under a bridge in the not too distant future seems to have a negative impact on my will to create and the type of paintings I'm doing. In fact, everything I touched today in my studio was anything but pretty. Maybe blaming it on the environment is a cop out, but I guess art can't always be pleasing. It's strange, but the painting I'm working on has a prominent "7" in it, which somehow I never noticed. Maybe it's a subconscious wish for some luck in our country's dire situation. Bill Moyers, on PBS, had some guests on tonight who really scared me. What with all the sabre rattling going on now with Iran, they said one incident of a tanker blowing up in the Straight of Hormuz and the insurance companies would take care of insuring that oil went to $200 or $250 a barrel. I can't help but think that the smart money is betting on that now.

On a more positive note, this blog thing brings back memories of my grandfather who kept a diary, in tiny, meticulous handwriting, in many small leather-bound books. My siblings and I have enjoyed reading them (with a magnifying glass). I never kept one until now, but I can't help but think how he would have been in heaven with the tools available today. I can see now why he kept a diary--it helps to sort out, define, vent and, hopefully, resolve the problems in our lives. That's a lesson worth remembering.