Most of Pat Metheny’s music touches me quite deeply, some of his outpourings make me cry because of their haunting beauty. Likewise, there are some gorgeous paintings I’ve seen over the years that have blown into my soul, taking my breath away in wonder, and I pondered if the painters feel the same way that Pat does when he said the following words:

“While I acknowledge that my primary function on Earth is to be a musician, I also see that music is nothing more than the essential component of humanity - it is all the same material. My feeling is that the more I can learn about music, the more I learn about other things. So far, it has worked for me.” - Pat Metheny

I am a musician and artist, and this is exactly how I feel! It hit me like a ton of bricks to see these words in print. For me, being an artist, a painter, and portraying what my soul sees/feels, helps me to know Earth, Humanity, and Nature more intimately. I learn about good and evil, beauty and ugliness, fear and courage, life and death, and eventually see sparks of the infinite ALL.  Even the research I do before beginning some of my works occasionally splits off into odd directions (yes, sometimes I get distracted easily), and I end up learning about entirely different subjects, filling my artistic “gas tank” to the brim for awhile. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes I have to stop and ponder over something for a few days before moving on.

So I crawl inside my canvas to paint, and I learn…when I lose myself in the vibration of a certain chord on my guitar, my soul feeds…when I immerse myself in a Buddhist chant, my soul vibrates and hears the Universe…when I truly and deeply LISTEN to beautiful music, I learn and connect to another’s soul…when I TRULY view a painting from the inside out, I learn to see through another pair of eyes. Life is a Great Mystery - so go explore it! My artistic/spiritual/emotional “gas tank” is full today because I listened to Map of the World.

Thank you, Pat Metheny, for opening your soul and sharing the beauty with us.
Peaceful Journeys,
D 06/16/06
If you wanna see the art, visit:
www.eclecticdawnarts.com