Softening the harsh stuff

I'm not at all sure this is an improvement over yesterday's attempt. I am sure, however, that I'm tired and I need to stop. It's time for lunch!

As I compare the two (here's yesterday's as a reminder), it's clear this one is considerably softened, a lot of the randomness and texture's been removed and much of the red and yellow's been shifted into blues and greens.

Does that make it better? or just easier to contemplate?

It's kind of like choosing not to listen to the news, or read all the first-hand CoVid accounts on FaceBook: it doesn't make the situation any better -- it's just a little easier to contemplate -- for me, at least -- if it's not in my face all the time.

But clearly it doesn't work that way for everyone. My husband, for whom information-gathering provides a much-needed feeling of control, is busily studying all the logarithmic graphs and charts, trying to see where this is heading, who's done the best job of flattening the curve and how, and doing his best to plan for the forseeable -- or perhaps unseeable -- future.

So while I paint to ease the tension and the fear, he scans the news, glued even more than usual to his laptop, cramming facts and drawing up lists of supplies that might be needed. I guess we all have our unique ways of coping...

Learnings: It's not enough to balance dark and light shapes; one needs to be much stronger, bolder.
                   For me the larger shape will always need to be the light one.
                   Taming things doesn't necessarily make them better.