Saturday, December 1, 2012

"Merry Christmas"


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"Merry Christmas!" This is certainly not an original greeting, but it is a Christmas card from our house to your house. My prayer is that all of you will have a wonderful Christmas.

As the last month of the year begins, I am "waxing" philosophical again. This is my 630th posting and I can now look back with a lot of hindsight about how art gets created. I most certainly have run the gamut of different techniques, especially in mixed media and now in oils.

What I have learned is that art is very much like playing the piano. The student determines the pace of learning by choosing how much time to practice. It really is that simple. The more time that is devoted to a particular skill, the faster the progress.

But there is another component. Observations and analysis need to be made on a continual basis in order to keep from practicing the same mistakes over and over again. And much to my sorrow, that can often take a very long time. Because of this unfortunate truth, it is very important to create something in your studio everyday. Otherwise, it can take years to learn what you need to learn.

I can name at least two or three things I learn every time I create a new piece. You will too, and here is the critical part. It is good to jot those things down in a journal. You will not remember what you did six months from now if you don't...in my case, it could be forgotten by tomorrow. This one discipline will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over again and also help you to continue to do whatever is working.   I have a rule...if something doesn't work, I quit doing it.   And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

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