"Eye Opener"

($40.00.....6" x 6"...Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"The view from behind is always an eye opener." It is always instructive to look behind to see where you've come from. I've noticed that students forget to calculate their progress because it can be painstakingly slow. The best thing to do is ask yourself..."Am I further along than I was a year ago?" The answer is invariably, yes!

Progress in any endeavor should be measured by looking back and reviewing how far you've come from when you first began. The pace of your progress is your choice and often depends on circumstances beyond your control. Big constraints, like a job and family, or walking the dog and cleaning house can get in the way. 

I do have some useful thoughts on this topic and the one that has served me best is the one I want to focus on. Well over a year ago, I realized I was not producing the volume of art that it takes to become accomplished. No amount of natural inclination or talent can take the place of figuring out a good time to create art. "Doing is the one condition of knowing." For me, it has been a daily blog. I also create other artwork, but the daily (2) or (3) hours I spend on creating a 6" x 6" piece happens no matter what.

In order to guard that sacred time and space, I opt to get up around 5:30 and simply do it no matter how I feel. You simply cannot work only when you feel like it. Some of my best work has happened when I felt like going back to bed. And the time you choose during your day is very important. Typically, I don't have places to go at 5:30 in the morning and no one is calling so it has proven to be a good time. I am generally through with the whole process by 8:30. Then it doesn't matter if I have unexpected interruptions. 

This is the way I do it, but if you are not up for a completed piece every day, I would encourage you to have a place where your work can stay out or be easily accessed so that you keep a continuous thread of design thought going on. Artists cannot make significant progress if they don't spend time with their art everyday.

Remember that your next piece begins where the last one left off. You cannot learn something completely just by reading or watching. You must actually do the work yourself. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.