I talk to myself while I am painting in the city. Maybe this is the reason that most of the passing crowd doesn’t bother me much. I talk to myself from the minute I start setting up. I don’t do it consciously but I realize that I am not just thinking but I actually talk with my voice while I am painting. At least outside. In the studio, I remain quiet. Or listen to music.
Perhaps it is a way to drown out the constant and irritating noise that surrounds me while I work. The level of concentration is very high. I become aware of that on occasions that someone interrupts me. I bounce out of my world of colour and light and look with blinking eyes at the person who taps on my shoulder.
My comments are irrelevant. Usually I’m just reminding myself to pay attention to all the parts of the painting and not ignore some part which attracts me less. I say ‘no’ a lot. Maybe I make a lot of mistakes. In any case, I’m not really bothering anyone with my useless banter while I stand and paint.
