Painting from Life

For some time now, I've only been painting from life. Painting is always a solitary experience, but painting from life takes so much of one's concentration that the solitude almost disappears into a state of an "absent self". There is nothing but the process. There is no outcome, no expectation, only observation. There is very little cognizance of self, and little or no perception of physical "place." We are often transported to something similar when we are watching a good movie, reading a great book, playing with a child or interacting with a baby. Time is suspended and has no meaning. There is no chatter of the mind. It is total engagement.