The Conversation I
November 6, 2005

(from my journal:)
I don't know about the 'pickled person' in Friday's drawing, but I do feel better than I did Friday. I took lots of naps this past weekend, and they rejuvenated me quite a bit. I interspersed that with some online reading of someone's 'Grail studies'. I suspect at least some of it has a chance of being right. I mean, some of that history was a long time ago, even before the Egyptians. I googled some of the stuff the author mentioned, and came up with more interesting stuff: Pythagorean Point Down Pentacles! Interesting artwork from a Grandmaster of the 'Priory of Sion', Jean Cocteau, (1889-1963)! Some of his pieces remind me of my 'automatic drawings'. Indeed, one of his quotes is the following:

"Art is a marriage of the conscious and the unconscious."

Also, I found this tidbit interesting, as well:

"He created powerful roles for women in his films and plays. Like many gay males, he loved actresses and women singers. A companion explained that women "formed part of the décor of his life." On the day that Edith Piaf died, he recorded a tribute to her, which was broadcast on French radio; he himself died later that day, October 11, 1963."

After reading all about Cocteau and looking at another online artist's work, I felt the need to do some of my own. Using the 'automatic' method (because it's most fun, I like being surprised), I came up with "The Conversation".

Perhaps the character could be a sort of Jean Cocteau, a slightly feminine gay man. There's a bit of androgeny about the appearance, could be a woman, too. I like that mystery. Also I wonder who s/he's talking to. Why wasn't that person included?

And also, possibly anticipating the conversation that came later yesterday evening also might have featured in the creation of this image. Julia and I had a lovely visit with friends whom we haven't seen in a while.

It was a great weekend.