A Happy Coincidence

Artists often speak of “the happy accident”: that event which happens during creation that the artist initially sees as a mistake or deviation from plan, but instead transforms the artwork and inspires new ideas.

Perhaps not as appreciated is what I will call “a happy coincidence”, an unintended and unanticipated confluence of elements that enhance an art-piece.

That is what happened to me with this recently completed painted bowl. A mineral stain in the wood happened to align with a flow pattern in the liquid alkyd paint, extending a visual path that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible, even if I had tried.

I donated this bowl to the Neskowin Community Association for their fundraising auction of work by local artists, held during the NCA August tournament weekend. That too, may have been “a happy coincidence”, as I had just finished the bowl a few days before the auction.