Silence does not mean inactivity. I have been fighting with the portrait of Eric for days now. I really wish I could just meet him!

I covered the first reddish brown layer of paint with a light blue - just as I had planned to do - and then tried to paint up the face. No luck there! I painted it over and over again, but kept scraping everything back off. In the end I was so fed up with my own incompetence that the knife cut straight through the canvas!

I had so many questions I wanted to ask Eric, and nowhere to look for the answers. Jacob and Kristian had long since left town, and were already well on their way to Florida. In my mind I was still back in Athens, and all I could see was the surface. As to what lay beneath - I could only guess. Was Eric and his religion really so happy and peaceful as they seemed? And if so - why? How would he go about overcoming personal problems? Would he sit down and play a song on his guitar? Or would he talk it over with his friends?

At last I made peace with Eric. The portrait is halfway finished now. It is a very plain and accurate depiction of Eric backgrounded by the Watkinsville church. Next step is to cover the whole thing with a fine layer of brass, and then use vinegar to help it oxidate. Hopefully all the stuff from underneath will reappear on the surface!


I have also begun the portrait of Mark. The first color is orange. That is all I got to say about it for now. And by the way, I guess that whole business about Eric is just beginner's trouble. After a few weeks everything should be smooth sailing. At least, that is what I hope for. An uninterrupted flow of inspiration. Let us see what happens.