Tuesday, May 15, 2012

sad girl and Rainer Maria Rilke

hi there.

Feeling a little off today,
so no words of wisdom.

Here's what i painted this morning.
(acrylic and charcoal on watercolor paper)


There's a quote by Picasso that i love:

Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. 


So this morning,
i felt like connecting to the artist i may have been
as a child.


It's a real challenge for me to let go of control
and paint from a place of innocence
rather than judgement.


I do like her...


...and her red shoes. :-)

I may have shared this with you already,
but i'm doing it again.

I read these words often,
by Rainer Maria Rilke
the genius poet.

His words comfort me
in times of doubt,
more than any other words ever do.

*****

Your work needs to be independent of others' work.

You must not compare yourself to others.

No one can help you. You have to help yourself.

Criticism leads to misunderstandings and defeatism.

Work from necessity and your compulsion to do it.

Work on what you know and what you are sure you love.

Don't observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.

Don't let yourself be controlled by too much irony.

Live in and love the activity of your work.

Be free of thoughts of sin, guilt and misgiving.

Be touched by the beautiful anxiety of life.

Be patient with the unresolved in your heart.

Try to be in love with the questions themselves.

Love your solitude and try to sing with its pain.

Be gentle to all of those who stay behind.

Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.

Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.

Bear your sadness with greater trust than your joy.

Do not persecute yourself with how things are going.

It's good to be solitary, because solitude is difficult.

It's good to love, because love is difficult.

You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

*****





14 comments:

  1. Oh yeah!
    I love her, your little girl.
    And Rainer Maria Rilke.
    And that particularily timely and inspirational poem.

    Thank you Pauline!
    I needed that today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hugs to you! (And I love how you layered up her face; I've been scrolling up and down to see if I can work out how you did it!) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. This made me smile, both the child-like painting and the Rilke quote. Rilke was there for me through much sadness and struggle. Thank you for the memory and the nod to sad little girls.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an excellent post ~ Picasso, Rilke ~ Best is your painting ~ she is adorable ~ Wow! Love her ~ so glad you 'let your little child' come and play ~ thanks for sharing this ~ hugs ~ ^_^ ~ namaste.

    ReplyDelete
  5. She is fantastic! I love how you proportioned her! There are so many great lines in his words I had to read it over and over. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely poem Pauline but I LOVE your girl. She is so sweet and bursting with potential...as we all were as little girls. Hope you have a better day tomorrow my friend xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful post! I love your sweet girl and your narrative about creating her. And the quote, which I never read before, is fantastic. So much wisdom there. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fabulous, fabulous... post Pauline! ((hugs))
    Love the little girl and her "RED SHOES".
    Super sweetness, you caught her facial expression so well.
    Thank you for sharing this poem, wonderful words to live by... excellent reminder, I agree. :]
    Wishing you a better day tomorrow and always, dear one.
    oxox

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great words, but it's your work and thoughts that always touch me. Your little girl is just such an original piece, love her! It is hard to let go and just go with whatever...it's like there are all kinds of barriers, our thoughts mainly, and going back to simplicity of childhood is so refreshing! Take care and enjoy the rest of your week. xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sweet painting and inspiring words.

    Sorry you're not having a good day (hug).

    x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting proportions and use of colours! I've copied the poem down in my journal... the words are very inspiring. Hope you're having a better day today.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great quote , its so true! You gotta be you! I love your painting too, wonderful work Pauline:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your little girl!! Her face is just excellent, well done!

    ReplyDelete