Through the years, I've been told that I had artistic talent. So, I thought that any time I did something art related it should be good, right? WRONG! Talented or not, it is a gift that needs to be used, exercised and practiced. Just like sports or music or anything, we don't show up one day and win a gold medal in the Olympics or compose and play a symphony. No, we show up daily and practice, practice and practice more. We have to put in the time to hone in on that "talent", that skill.
As well as not leaning on "talent" to carry me through the creative process, I also need to let go of the fact, that every time I step into my studio and pick up a brush or a pastel, I must create a masterpiece. Something that is good enough to sell or give away to a dear friend. In the past, if the finished product didn't fit that criteria then I felt like I had wasted my time and $ on all those supplies. NOT TRUE! I learned from every moment of practice. I learned what works, what doesn't work, what I want to try differently the next time. Baby steps! Fortunately, as we know baby steps lead to walking and then running. A few trip ups along the way teach us even more. Failure is the best teacher. So, I am going to try to embrace failure.
Anyways, I hope to paint as often as possible, daily if possible. I plan to paint small and simple so that I can complete them in a few hours a day. This goal needs to be challenging but achievable. I hope to post my paintings (the good, the bad and the ugly) here so you and I can see the progress. I will post my thoughts, my experiences, my insights. As a teacher, I love to share my experiences so that others may learn as we are all on this journey together - sometimes we're just taking different paths.
Day 1: Fall
 |
| 8x8 Oil on Canvas |
About this painting:
I will tell you that I almost NEVER do still life's as I have always found them very boring. However, I started reading a book called, "Daily Painting" by Carol Marine and I was encouraged and inspired to give them a try. I've heard from many that painting from life is the best way to learn as we see so much more with our eyes than through a camera lens and photograph. Since the weather is not lending itself to plein-air painting, I decided to set up a still life, so I grabbed what I could find. This painting was a bit challenging with the metallic paper wrapped around the pot and all the flower petals but I pushed through. It probably took me longer than I wanted but I will say that I quite enjoyed myself painting it. Also, I will mention that I am still fairly new to oil painting but I am really liking them far better than acrylics due to the fact that they don't dry so fast. Oils are so much more vibrant and I love how they blend and mix right on the painting. Also, odor and clean-up is not as bad as you think. Odorless mineral spirits make all the difference.
