The Painter’s Box

There is not much in it, this small painter’s box.
A few oils. Brushes. Charcoal. A knife or two.
but then, it takes far less to create a masterpiece
than the teachers would have you believe.

An eye. (one will do). A sense of movement.
line and space. A sense of energy
and the willingness to open yourself
to God’s breath, and work

even when you don’t feel like it.

About this poem.

The word inspiration comes from a root phrase that means “God Breathed”. I only have one functional eye, so I threw that line in for fun. I can be too serious sometimes.

The photograph is of Fredrick Church’s paintbox. Church was the best known of the Hudson River schoo of artists during the guilded age.

Tom