:: Just for today… ::

     Just for today I’m going to try to make a better painting. We’re not talking Sistine Chapel here, just a piece of joy begun and ended between sunup and sundown.
     Just for today I’ll be happy with it. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Today I’m making up my mind to be pleased.
     Just for today I’m trusting in luck, intuition, chance and happenstance. Today I’m going to fit myself and my work around some of these minor miracles.
     Just for today I’ll strengthen my mind. When I’m puzzled or have a problem I’ll consult trusted reference. Thought and concentration will be with me, if only just for today.
     Just for today I’ll do something I don’t know how to do — for the fun of it; for the exercise. If and when I fail, no one may notice, and I’ll not say anything.
     Just for today I’ll not find fault with anything or anyone, and I’ll not try to improve or regulate anyone but myself.
     Just for today I’ll have a plan. I may not follow it exactly, but I’ll have it. While I’m at it, I’ll save myself from two pests; hurry and indecision.
     Just for today I’ll put beauty, elegance, charm and character into my work. What I give to the world is also what the world gives to me. I need those things.
     Just for today I’ll not think about what anybody else is doing. I’ll be sufficient unto myself, for while I may not be great, I am certainly great enough for today.
     Just for today I’ll take some real time for a quiet time — a half-hour or so by myself where I can sit back and get a better idea of the big picture.
— The Painter’s Key

This is such a beautiful poem that touches me deeply. It comes from the heart, and it is an artist that wrote it. I really needed this mantra just now as after painting with the wonderful Montreal Urban Sketchers today at la Maison des éclusiers, I was met with major traffic jams, orange cones galore… it took me 1 hour to get out of the city, and another 50 minutes to get home! There was so much traffic… sigh…

Sketchbook: Hand}book paper co., the field watercolor jounal
Colours: New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine
Location: Maison des éclusiers, Vieux-Montréal