Journey from the Top Floor

I bought a bunch of acrylic paint and some acrylic medium, with all intentions of learning to paint with acrylics again. I thought I'd use it during the painting/sketches, because they dry fast and clean up with water, and that would make it so easy to paint the small paintings as I was working up the larger Chelsea paintings (which would be in oil on canvas). Well, I worked three days with acrylic. They dry too fast, even with the medium. And I think because I bought the less-expensive paints, they just didn't work at all. I spent more time arguing with them than actually completing any work. So finally, I put them aside and dragged out the oils. At first, they were so foreign to me. It's been so long since I've painted. But it didn't take too long, they became that comfortable pillow again. I knew them. They smelled familiar, they felt familiar and I fell in love with them again. I was surprised that some of them hadn't even dried up. It's been over a year since I painted with oils. It took no time, though. And they were back in my hand, flowing like colorful butter and going where I wanted them to--doing what I wanted them to do.

I did my first practice painting of the Chelsea from the new photographs. This is the 10th floor center hall. It's always dark in the middle and light on each side. I suppose because above the center is the skylight. But this was taken at night, when the contrast of light is the most evident. In numerology, I find it interesting that 10 reduces to 1. The first time I was in the Chelsea I only went to the 1st floor, to room 100. All reducing to 1. And the first time I went to the 10th floor was in the 10th month, October. All of those reduce to 1, the Magician. The last time I was there I stayed on the 3rd floor (The Empress). The Empress always tell me to incorporate passion in what I do. Without the Empress, there is no extreme feeling. How can one love without passion? There are secrets, there, as well. I need 0, 1, 2, 3...I need the Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess and the Empress. The Emporer I have plenty of. I don't need any more rules. I need passion. I need hidden wisdom. I need to step off the precipice without fear. No Fear. Love. It's the only equation that makes sense.