"Stepping Stones"

($180.00......6" x 6".....Oils on a 3/8" depth Gessobord Panel....Presented in Custom Frame)

"Stepping stones will get you from one place to another." The stepping stones in this image allowed me to cross over water as well as go a bit higher on the rock. This is a beautiful metaphor for real life and choosing the right stepping stones (or choices) to reach an important goal.

In art, process is another word for stepping stones. It is important to think about what you're thinking about. In fact, an interesting exercise is to write down the questions that come to mind as you are working through the process of creating art. The very act of doing this can identify some more decisions you need to include or some you need to leave out.

In this oil painting, one of the first decisions I made was to decide what to paint. It was painted on location so the information I could have included was vast. It is quite necessary then, to have as one of your first decisions to select what to include in the painting. This sounds like one of the most logical first things to think about. I thought that, too, until I began to read that one oil painter (whose work is very skilled and mature) spends as much as (3) hours studying the area to be painted before putting paint to canvas. This was stunning to me.

So my next thought was to try and determine the myriad of things I should be studying during a (3) hour period. And that is where I am in the process today. Some of the things that came to mind were things like value studies...shapes...identifying the root colors and how intense or diluted the colors are...etc.

So my next paint out will include a clip board and pencil for taking notes rather than starting to paint first. I will also take a lot of photos as well as using a view finder before painting. This is a very important topic and my hope is that you will also be thinking about all of the questions that need to be asked while creating art.

I have a theory.....if you ask the right questions...you will get the right answer. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.