I started a new painting a few days ago from the collection of photographs gathered during the recent trip to the Mexican central highlands. Today, I applied the final few changes that seemed necessary, and it appears to be complete.

Dos Perros Callajeros - 11X14 Oil on Canvas

There are a few processes that I always need to deal with when I plan and execute a painting. First, there is the selection of a subject. Is it interesting? What are the technical challenges - how much detail is there, and have I ever figured out (or will I figure out) how to render the elements of the scene in paint? How big should it be? Usually, after a preliminary selection of a subject, I sketch it loosely in pencil on a canvas, then look at it for a week or so while I sort out how I plan to render it in paint. Then I need to watch for at least a full day when I can work with no interruptions or distractions, followed by more days with not too many of those.

Than, on the day when I begin to work, there is always a horrible sense of "What am I doing this for? This is likely to end up a waste of time, with a result that is unpresentable - the effort will need to be abandoned as hopeless, the canvas discarded." As the paint goes on, it seems like nothing good will emerge. But then, a few areas begin to emerge as something more than the source photograph. There is a bit of distillation from the reality which has been seen, then captured digitally, then sketched, then rendered with paint. It begins to seem that there might be a worthwhile outcome after all. Occasionally, there are problems that develop along the way that threaten to derail the entire project, but those are usually overcome, with some satisfaction.

Every effort to render a scene in oil on canvas offers a lesson in how to deal with some element of painting. I have no education in painting, but I think for me the path to becoming a better painter lies in just producing more work more frequently. I don't receive instruction well.

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