At My Side

START CLOSE IN

by David Whyte

Start close in, don't take the second step or the third,

start with the first thing close in,

the step you don't want to take.
Start with the ground you know,

the pale ground beneath your feet,

your own way of starting the conversation.
Start with your own question,

give up on other people's questions,

don't let them smother something simple.
To find another's voice, follow your own voice,

wait until that voice becomes a private ear listening to another.
Start right now take a small step you can call your own

don't follow someone else's heroics,
be humble and focused,

start close in, don't mistake that other for your own.
Start close in, don't take the second step or the third,

start with the first thing close in,

the step you don't want to take.

The Corn Maiden

The Corn Maiden

oil on canvas 20 by 42"

Carter Holman--Third Phase

From “Sun Chief” the autobiography of a Hopi Indian
My grandfather cautioned me that chickens
are the chosen pets of the Sun god.
”The crowing of the cocks in early morning

is important,” he said.
“The Sun god put them here to wake up the people.
He rings the bell telling the roosters
when to announce the coming of dawn.
They crow four times before daylight.”

"Listen"

I've often thought the paintings have a life of their own.

They seem to come to mind and appear on the canvas

at their own time and choosing.

Last month I had the opportunity to do a painting for a couple of friends of ours.

What do you have in mind?
They said, "do whatever you like."

Now I've been working on Southwestern themes lately,
since I entered the "Third Phase" of my painting life.
But that didn't seen right for them.

To give me some ideas I asked, if they would give me a list of things
they would like to see in their painting.

They are both performing artist-- so I had already started to

think of themes that involved music.

Their list was filled with
all kinds of animals and flowers.

I've liked the idea of Orpheus

and had wanted to do my version for some time--

the effect his music had on animals.
And not just animals--even the rocks would
gather to listen to his music.
And the trees would up root themselves to follow him.

Unfortunetly every up has it's down.

The story is glorious and tragic.

For me, I want to focus on the glorious

while holding tight to the hub.