Long, long time ago (i.e. 30 years), in A Guidance-Counsellor’s office far away (i.e. 2 hours drive from here), I was presented with a copy of “Being Happy” by Australian author and cartoonist Andrew Matthews. It is a good book. I enjoy Matthew’s philosophy but what sets Matthews apart from others in the “self-help” genre are the cartoons he draws to support the concepts in his books. The cartoons, as far as I can determine, appear to be line-drawings and some type of brush work for colouring and shading. If anyone can tell, please let me know.

Whilst trying to discover what drawing style he uses, I came across a newer book of his called How Life Works. Cool. Not only are his books still in print, but he’s made others. I bought the digital edition and …. ooops! …. the drawings are tiny. I can only assume that the print version is better.

Anyway…

In chapter 15 Matthews addreses the question “Where does energy come from”. There is a short story, followed by the conclusion:

Energy flows into your being every time you say, “This is a GREAT MOMENT!”

Go ahead and try it right now. Say “This is a Great Moment!” out loud (yes, even if you are in the office or at a fast-food joint). How do you feel?

That made it the perfect subject for a painting.