From Studio Notes, January 2006

◄  #4, January 2006 
January 14, 2006. Lac O.
Early morning, beginning to make #4, January 2006.
I woke in the darkness and sensed the old black snake curled in the base of my belly. As dawn came, I went to the studio to paint it.

 First, I activated the ground with the dull colors of the papers of the 1957 collages—a dust of ochre followed by another of black.

 Second, I laid heavy gel as the substance of my flesh into the ground of ochre and black dust and sprayed and carved the darkness of the black snake into it.

 Third, I looked to see what I had done.

 Night.
On the way up to the studio to look again at the old black snake, I saw the waning crescent moon.

I heard, “That’s it, son, clean all the clutter of paint and rags and tools off the paint table so you can see what you’re doing. Don’t carve the snake in your belly, but carve instead the moon you can see through the studio window beyond your left shoulder. Do as you’re told.”

I made the flesh of the body into a golden egg for the moon, and put back the black snake coiling in its base. In the tangle above the golden egg, I made a dull red sun engraved with black at its core.

What you get is what you get.