". . . a brush with nature"

"IN THE END... We only regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make." 

Lewis Carroll said that. Powerful, isn’t it? 

Those words can apply to any aspect of anyone’s life, and most certainly they can have great relevance to that of an artist or other creative person. It’s scary (sometimes downright frightening) to put your work “out there” for the world to see and, sometimes, criticize harshly. But we still do it. We share the work we feel driven to create. We submit to juried shows. We offer our work for sale. We explore new mediums, opportunities, venues and the like. We continue to challenge ourselves . . . or, at least, we should. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they do not, but we can certainly gain something from each new experience whether it turns out to be a resounding success or not. Even what initially might feel like a failure can be turned into a success if something is learned from it. (Side note here - I have found that something learned can be as simple as, “I have now tried this once and I am not going to do it again because it just isn’t right for me.” That is still a big win because it is something I now know that I didn’t know before.)

The take away here is to step up and accept challenges even though they might be scary. You really don’t know what you can accomplish until you try. You also don’t know what you’re missing out on.

And, please, don’t procrastinate. Time, and chances, pass by so quickly.

In the end, you will regret the chances you didn’t take.

Sometimes it’s fun and challenging to revisit a favorite painting subject over and over again. I know of landscape artists (plein air painters) that like to revisit the same location multiple times to capture the site in a different light or season. Sometimes artists are just so fond of a particular subject they never grow tired of painting it, whether it be a treasured still-life piece or a favorite model. Often, as in my case, it is a much-loved pet that has become an important part of our family.

Here I am sharing two quite different “takes” on the same subject . . . one of our beautiful cats, Cappuccino. This handsome boy spent much of his time looking at the outside world through our large living room windows. I painted him several times in this particular pose. 

As you can see, the two pieces are alike in some ways, but extremely different, as well. The basic pose that I started with is the same (it was his favorite, after all), but one piece is cropped in much more closely than the other. Of course, that isn’t the only difference. The most obvious being that one painting is done in pastel and the other in scratchboard completed with a few color highlights in ink.

Each of these pieces were challenging and fun. I am happy with both of them for different reasons and I couldn’t say which I like better. 

If you are another artist, I hope this encourages you to revisit subjects you most enjoy painting. Look for ways you can change and expand on your chosen subject either by trying another medium, exploring different lighting or even time of year. Take the challenge to discover a unique way to change things up on a theme you have already explored in the past. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised and even learn something new along the way.

A long while ago I  read the book “Show Your Work!” by Austin Kleon. There was much to consider when reading the book and so much content that made sense to any of us that are professional artists or those that want to be. I have kept much of the advice in the back of my mind over these past few years, but I actually saved one excerpt from it to Notes on my iPad because I felt it was especially significant and important to remember. I have referred back to it on a regular basis and I would like to share it with you now.

“Be ambitious. Keep yourself busy. Think bigger. Expand your audience. Don’t hobble yourself in the name of “keeping it real,” or “not selling out.” Try new things. If an opportunity comes along that will allow you to do more of the kind of work you want to do, say Yes. If an opportunity comes along that would mean more money, but less of the kind of work you want to do, say No.”

I think this is so important to the growth of any artist. Keep yourself busy and allow yourself to experiment along the way. Try new things. Realize they may not always work out exactly the way you expected, but many will and may turn out even better than you anticipated! By not “hobbling” yourself you will be open to new opportunities and new markets along the way.

That being said, don’t create work you are not comfortable with simply because it is a fad. As an artist, you must stay true to yourself. You can certainly achieve greatness while still experimenting with new ideas and mediums that fit with your own unique vision.

Here is an example of what I recently painted, exploring a new look and color palette while still staying true to myself and the subjects I love to paint. 

Be ambitious in both your growth and aspiration as an artist. Continue to learn, experiment, embrace appropriate opportunities and reach new horizons every day through your art. Don’t hold yourself back . . . achieve!