In her heart-warming book, The Principles of Uncertainty, Maira Kalman reveals emotional depth and a quirky wit. In an excerpt posted on the New York times website, she suggests ways to ponder the pursuit of happiness.
An illustrator, author, and designer, Kalman is widely known and loved for her children’s books such as Ooh La La, Max in Love, and her brilliant illustrated update of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Hear Maira talk about her life and work in a video from the public speaking series Ted Talks:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/maira_kalman_the_illustrated_woman.html
Thanks Deborah, and I’ve really been enjoying your Slow Painting site. Plenty of meaty stuff, I enjoyed the debate about Londoners and beauty. I have been planning to provide a link to it.
And how is your painting going?
Val
V, In answer to your question about how painting is going, you just never know do you? Sometimes I look back and think I’ve made no or little progress and then suddenly it busts out. It is perverse and defiant, or so it feels that way to me. What about you?
Hello Deborah,
Yes, sometimes it’s a slog and a fumble in the dark, waiting for something to emerge that might be a painting, and then occasionally there’s a joyous day in which the work seems to paint itself.
It seems the best thing is to just keep working, make a lot of work. To paraphrase Cezanne, If I spend too much energy second-guessing, it all goes to hell.