Eight Ball
Lessons of Eight Ball
Watercolor painting and inspirational poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, as I continue to explore light and shadow in glass objects
To be "behind the eight ball", means you are in a precarious situation
Sounds familiar? Instead of options, you feel frustration and vexation
Sounds familiar? Instead of options, you feel frustration and vexation
The phrase comes from billiards when sinking the 8-ball means victory.
It's the last ball to play but the cue ball's position is contradictory!!
Without a clean look, the specter of failure could easily immobilize you!
When the going gets tough, the tough get going, not time to feel blue.
You size up the situation, using experience to choose the best way out
Fortune favors the brave. In life acting decisively is what it's about
Comments
Truth be told my parents are to be credited with nurturing an environment for reading, debating and explaining. Growing up my mother, a teacher, always made sure we had plenty of reading materials including all the classics of English literature and a ton of magazines (Life, Span, National Geographic, Readers Digest, Illustrated Weekly, Junior Statesman etc). Around 1979 we started getting Time and Newsweek as well.
But the dining table discussions were where it all flourished. History. Art. Science. Morality. Ethics … were standard fare.
Around 1979 I joined a youth group AICUF where peer debates and discussions on morality, social justice, ethics and sexuality were par for the course, initially moderated by scholastics but it spilled into our normal interactions
Now at my own home, we have created that same environment though sadly the peer group of my children aren’t interested in informed discussions. The seeds of constant curiosity have thankfully taken root in both our kids
Some of the best discussions I have are with my wife and son discussing the rise and fall of societies across time and space - Kieran
You see my artwork but let me introduce you the wonderful mentors and friends without whom none of this would be possible…
It all started in Sep 2023 at a meeting of 30 artists who contribute to the FB group "Memories of Poona”. A truly inspirational architect turned artist *Tushar Manohar Shetty* travelled 3.5 hours each way from Mumbai to Pune to deliver his heartfelt message that God has generously endowed _everyone_ with artistic gifts but it is our weak human nature that prevents us from developing it.
Tushar’s idea was to do one artwork a day and live in the moment, enjoying the art instead of looking for outside validation - perfectly matches my ethos in retirement where I seek to give back and have no motivation to monetize, sell or advertise my works.
This truly frees me from any artificial constraints and allows me to pursue whatever sparks my interest at the moment. Tushar's words are my North Star.
Next, I recall the wise words of another mentor Edith Kessler, a co-worker from 1990, "Always use the best materials available, for the same effort, the results will be better by an order of magnitude". I use professional paints, brushes and paper; all of course bought at sale prices, since I am not in a race.
Then, over lunch one day, my friend Dave Beyer, a successful venture capitalist, on his own setup a blog for me to share my artwork with the world at https://kieranart.blogspot.com - I have since uploaded most of my work there. (@Pritha Dutt, the book will happen when it will. I have archived most of my work carefully)
Last but not least, thanks to the constant support and encouragement from family, relatives, classmates like you, neighbors and friends who look forward to my artwork as a bright spot in their lives. Special shoutout to those who forward it to their friends and contacts. Over the past year or so, I have received 1200 comments, many telling me how the artwork speaks to their situation. It has been an unexpected conversation starter bringing us closer.
Lastly, practice makes perfect, are not empty words. Yes, there is talent (10% inspiration) but consistent application (90% perspiration) elevates the work. Andre Agassi was known to return almost any serve but that was because he faced over 10 million serves in his career - pure muscle memory. Stephen Curry shoots unbelievable 3-pointers when the stakes are the highest (Paris Olympics gold medal match, anyone?) but that's because he shoots 500 treys a day which add up to over 3 million in all. Tiger Woods hit over 10 million shots that made his swing look flawless. I am in no way comparing myself to any of them but 1-painting-a-day quickly adds up to over 350 paintings and counting so far - I can now visualise the color palette and which brush quite intuitively.
My immense gratitude to all of you for being with me on my art journey.
Each day is a blank page, let’s all color it in our own special way! - Kieran
Very observant, Sanjeev - yes it is black but as an artist I felt blue, green or red would be more appealing. I went for a green look. Glad you liked it - Kieran