Week 3

Week 3 and I'm kind of getting back a bit of momentum and learning something in the process (imagine that). The first 2 paintings are the other ones from last week and the next 2 are this week's.

One thing I've learned is that I probably will never be a portrait artist. For one thing it really doesn't interest me and I find it really difficult to make a posed portrait interesting, I do however like painting people just not in a traditional way, it was worth a try though. The second painting I really like, it's from a trip to Prague - I've discovered that I have an affinity to bridges; to paint, photograph, live near, so this could be a theme for a little while anyway.

The Commitment

I finished traveling in mid November (4 new HuHot's in the midwest) and when I got home I couldn't wait to get back to painting canvases. Unfortunately though, I think I lost momentum and was really uninspired, so after hours of meditation (kidding) I had a revelation; that I was lacking in commitment to the constant vigilance that a successful artist needs (or any profession for that matter) and what I really needed was a goal.

So here it is: 100 paintings in a year. Now to some artists that's probably not that big a deal - I have friends who probably do more, but for me it's quite a challenge. I immediately got excited because I realized that this is more about the process of experimenting with subject matter and not worrying so much about content or perfection than it is about the quantity of paintings. As much of a challenge it is given my 2 other jobs it's actually kind of freeing. So far I have 4 done since I started on the first of December - small ones, 2 of them posted here of Italy and I am now working on a very small (for me) portrait of my daughter, alternating with something like a landscape that is much easier for me.

I'll be posting them as I get them done with hopefully some insight on where this is leading me and whether it is still fun or if they've had to commit me to Warm Springs for a nice rest.

Survived the Swine Flu and I'm not dead.

I've never really gotten the whole fear based America thing, I'm not into fear much and I think whatever happens you pretty much deal with and move on. So this Swine Flu scare is interesting to me, I started getting sick about 8 days ago, 4 days with the high fever and another 4 with an annoying cough that makes it really hard to sleep. I know there can be complications (course that can happen with a cold as well), but truely I've been much sicker than this.

What does this have to do with art? Absolutely nothing (although I like the little illustration of the flu bug). In fact I haven't painted in my studio in a very long time. With traveling and painting murals at HuHots in Kenosha Wisconson, Dubuque Iowa, Des Moines Iowa and next week in Springfield Missouri, there doesn't seem to be any time to commit to canvases.

Good things come in little paintings?

For the past 20 or so years I've been painting big, really big, the bigger the better I always said. But, this weekend some very dear friends are getting married and because they are an older couple, they pretty much have everything, so I thought a painting would be the best gift, and they love Europe. Unfortunately I waited too long and the wedding is this weekend, so, here is my first attempt at a really little painting (I didn't measure it but it's something like 6" square) I had to search my studio for brushes that small but I have to say, I'm kind of liking the little painting.