The new street scene - I forgot to get a sketch photo before beginning to apply paint.

Yesterday, I began work on a new Mexican street scene, under the guidance of my recent painting mentor, Kirsten Savage. I think she made a little progress in steering me away from my minutely fussy detailed approach (which she gently derides as a sort of 'paint by numbers' effort). Bigger brushes, defining broad areas with bolder brush work and lots of paint, stopping before too much detail is introduced to find a point where enough information is provided while still leaving something to the viewer's imagination.

I continue to learn small but important lessons about materials and technique, drawing on her academic training and her generous sharing of things learned as a working artist.


Yesterday late afternoon, after about five hours work.

Remarkably, I reached near completion of this piece last night (this morning) around 2am. A few hours earlier I was ready to throw the canvas (and all my other tools and materials) in the nearest dumpster, so frustrating is this process for me. I look at my half-completed work, and see so many unresolved problems and have such doubt about my ability to work them out.

I also ultimately question what the point of this time-consuming (and not inexpensive) activity is. I doubt the practicality of generating income with painting output, and really don't think I seek the admiration of viewers so much. I enjoy seeing the pieces myself as they take shape and after they are complete, but once I am convinced I have the ability to succeed (as in my photography, aviation, and IT careers) my interest wanes.

Ah well, maybe just one more piece...

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