Plein-aire concinnity

I have not done any plein-aire painting for three or four years. Yesterday I returned to some places along Bolinas Lagoon and Tomales Bay where I have painted in the past. I found myself greeting trees as the incoming tide lapped at gnarled roots. One tree in particular that I painted several times in the spring of 2005 was greeted like a dear old friend. Bowing to the egrets and basking seals in the lagoon, I realized the intimacy of place, space, sound that has been created in my psyche and soul.

There is concinnity-a seeing with one's ears. Babette E. Babich discusses this in her rich, delectable book WORDS IN BLOOD,LIKE FLOWERS which I am slowly savoring. I am thinking about this in terms of plein-aire painting and found myself painting small watercolors on gesso covered rice paper with awareness, passion and sensitivity. This goes far beyond "landscape-painting". The Latin word, concinnitas carries the meaning of "rhythmically attuned diction." There is a rich scholarly tapestry of the word's meaning. It invites reflection for me as a painter to think about my painting and how I speak about my paintings.

I wonder about the rhythmic attunment to the place I am painting. That "place" dissolves the interior/exterior division. Painting is rhythmic attunment. Taking this further, I think of one's heart-soul-psyche, a "corda-concinnity." Listening with heart-soul-psyche, seeing with my ears. Painting.