This work was painted in oil on wood. It resides in a private collection. Abraham Heschel lived from 1907-1972. He was an influential religious scholar and civil rights activist.
My favorite ideas of Heschel's concern the role of the religious prophet. According to him, divinity is pathological, a notion summed up by the term divine pathos. The role of the prophet is to resonate with this pathological divinity through a process of prophetic sympathy. This conception of God as an emotional being rather than as some sterile omnipotent force always struck me as more believable than the alternative.
This painting marks the end of an era. I've now officially shared my entire series of historical portraits here on Hive. This isn't the only thing I'm finishing at this time. I'm also on track to complete my book Magic Rat and Chaos Bird tonight or tomorrow.
This new novel might be my best one yet. It's not as funny as One Man Embassy and its plot isn't as clean as Psychic Avalanche's. But the characters are great and I'm happy with the writing. It is a little weird to be finishing this new book while Psychic Avalanche is still being edited. Like the world is stuck in slow motion while my work progresses at a normal pace.
I remember feeling like this a lot when I was a kid. School was like being trapped in goo, forced to maintain a sluggish pace set by teachers unable to accommodate my needs. The weird part is that I don't feel like I work fast. If anything, I sometimes feel as if I'm working unusually slowly. But I am methodical and disciplined. Which apparently gets stuff done.
I'm actually trying to drag out the completion of Magic Rat because I don't yet know what my next big project will be. The second half of October will probably include a bunch of work for a new client. But I don't yet have a clear idea for the next novel. Nor has inspiration for the next painting come to me in any form.
In truth, I'm bored with everything, writing stories myself because all of the year's new sci fi looks uninteresting. In previous years when I felt like this, I'd occupy myself with garden chores or by machining a belt buckle in the shop. Or I'd play around with a model in the parlor until some new artwork came into being. Sadly, all of these things have become impossible due to recent changes in my household.
At this juncture, my only freedom is virtual. And there's only so much I can do with that.
Read my novels:
Check out the comic I wrote:
