There are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in the history books. ~Charlie Chaplin
Thought for Thursday
Tag: watercolor paintings
The Process Has Rewards
If the magic is in the doing I better make sure I am at the ready and working. I know all along that it’s in the process, not the outcome, where things keep moving.
The 30 in 30 Challenge is over. There was that possibility of success, of hitting 30 paintings in 30 days. Negative view: it didn’t happen. Positive view: something happened. Not a lot, but enough.
In the spirit of the positive view, I carry on in the process.
The weather being really wonderful for an October in New York, I took myself on an Artist’s Date to Clark Botanical Garden in Albertson, NY on Long Island. It’s not the beach, but it’s near my house, easy to get to, beautiful, and quiet.
Thinking positive, I planned to do some watercolor sketching so I toted my equipment with me. I couldn’t decide which paper to carry along, the Canson notebook or the Arches block. I brought both. They’re small enough and I wasn’t carrying a beach chair and lunch. That decision was a good one because I learned something about each type of paper.
As I sketched on the Canson above, I noticed I couldn’t rework already painted areas, which began to run. Looks like Canson paper is only good for really fast work with no going back.
Below is the Arches block. I could continue working and adding paint without having issues like the Canson notebook. The only draw back with a block is if I wanted to do another sketch I needed to free this one from the block with a palette knife. That means it had to be dry to remove causing wait time.
The two works have a different feeling with each type of watercolor paper.
Working en plein air was a good experience and exercise, too. Out in nature, it takes time to adjust to seeing shapes, shadows, highlights, colors, and sorting all that information onto a 2 dimensional surface.
Let me tell you, it was hard work. The process doesn’t lie. It knows the work is hard, but doing it has rewards.
Results of Saying Yes – Another Art Event
Back in the saddle again. Well, sort of, kind of, not in a “new painting” kind of way. To explain, I participated in another Art Show/Sale event in my area. This time it was a two day event, but I could only attend one day because the next one was Father’s Day, and I didn’t want to disappoint The Mr. I decided to say Yes to one day, rather than No to all of it.
This was a fun event last year and I was happy to be able to attend this time around, even for one day. The organizers are wonderful, as well as the patrons and the fellow artists.
Luckily for me I sold some work again. I brought along some smaller pieces of various Greek scenes which excited one shopper. She bought two of these paintings, one of which you can see propped up nearest myself. While we were talking she remarked that these paintings drew her in and spoke to her. Wow, was my remark!
On the off chance someone would be interested in my jewelry, I set out some bracelets and a couple of them sold as well. Even notecards sold, and I hesitated showing them, too.
The lesson here is When in Doubt, Do. I usually Do Not.
My go-to response had been No, but in the recent past I read the default answer should be Yes, and take it from there. Reluctantly, I said Yes this time.
Yes ends up being the answer when I try to go around it. My nature is to start by saying No. When No no longer works I have to move on to Yes.
Yes takes work. Yes takes time. Yes takes energy. Yes causes anxiety.
No does all those same things, but creates other issues that cause much more anxiety. Maybe I’m better off saying Yes first, and think about it later.