Blog

I've painted Lynnette in Johanna's portrait class several times now. Although I thought I was doing okay while I was in class, this is not my favorite painting of her. There is a bit of a likeness and the pose was interesting, but this study lacks whatever it is that makes the viewer want to come in and look more closely. In fact, I've begun to tire from the figurative work done in class. I know they are done for practice and that the act of doing it is worthwhile, ...... I don't know.... I guess I'm a bit frustrated.

I find myself making the same mistakes over and over again. I made the same mistakes when I was doing still lifes. I do my little talk to myself and tell myself all the things I should be doing, and then I break up the form and put a "light" value in the dark area of the form..... I mess it up ... I'm probably messing up the values in my landscapes as well. After all -- light falling upon form is all about values and THAT'S what I've been trying to work on especially since I started with Johanna over a year ago (along with drawing and composition, and color and temperature and everything else) for so long. Sometimes I think I'm making progress and then ..... Aarrgghhhh!

I sometimes feel like the little girl in Willy Wonka... I think her name was Baruka Salt... "I want it NOW, Daddy!!" But then she didn't end so well, did she??

Guess I'll just keep painting away on my thousands and thousands of canvases! Someday I just know I'll get better.