I decided against cute.

 Recently, I was invited to participate in an exhibition coming up, celebrating Cincinnati Parks. The subject should be local and I was considering doing something safe and even worse, sellable.  E- gads that! I even went as far as to enlarge several reference photos, laying out the piece and starting.  This process took several hours.  The further I got, the more I hated the composition!  It was just too damned cute. Couldn't do it. I tried repressing my distaste, knowing it would be beautiful if I could only swallow the bile and slog on. It was quite an ambitious endeavor and would be impressive.   Nope, nope nope! Too nice, too comfortable.  I'm simply not in the mood.  I like edge.  I like odd.  I like compelling.  Do I want a birdhouse  nestled amongst honeysuckle, on a blue sky day with tree swallows flitting about? No, I want dreary, winter, monochromatic, slightly abstract, because frankly, right now that is how I feel.   Life isn't always blue skies and bees buzzing.  There is beauty in the monochromatic tones of a dreary, winter day. So I shove the unfinished fail in a file drawer start something new that I can feel excited about. I may have just dodged a bullet.