Are you Satisfied with Average?

Key West Sunset

Water is so relaxing. Hearing it tumble over rocks, flow into rivers, trickle into brooks and streams is the best way I know to fall asleep. Its movements can also be hypnotizing as you watch the way it rumbles and rolls over hills or slowly meanders into low-lying crevices and gullies.

Water follows the path of least resistance. It doesn’t run up hill without a fight. We can learn a lot about life by watching this liquid essence travel. What keeps it going?

1.    A strong source

2.    A Constancy

3.    A Tenacity

4.    A Clarity

The same vital traits you and I need to keep pushing ahead. Without them we would sink to the lowest level and settle into the comfortable ruts of familiarity. With them we can rise to the highest level of our abilities.

Effort is nothing more than a methodical plodding toward your end goal. There is nothing magic about achievement. It is hard work made visible. Sometimes it’s luck; but without the talent and skill to back it up, overnight success may be exposed for what it is – a sham.

"Mount Rainier"

Where is your source, your fountain of inspiration? Where does your energy, your power and motivation come from? Only by understanding the source of your strength will you be able to access and use it. 

Some people call their source a muse. Others credit God or the gifts that they have been given. Whatever drives you, recognize where it comes from and learn how to harness its power in your life.

Review again water’s four traits above. Constancy is a given. Unless you keep on keeping on your skill will not be developed nor will it improve. Only through practice and effort can you achieve a professional level of perfection and polish. Skill is not a gift. It is learned through perspiration and hard work. The more you do something, the easier it becomes to repeat. Repetition expands success.

Tenacity means you don’t give up easily. Water always finds a way. So when your ego gets knocked down, get back up and try again. You are on a journey. Don't let others or your own defeat deter you from your goal.

Clarity is essential. A muddy or congested waterway eventually slows down. It may also widen or overflow its banks and lose its original path. If you can’t see your way clear to forge ahead, you’ll get bogged down or lost in overwhelming detail. You need a clear plan. You need oversight and a glimpse of the “big picture.” Once you know what you want and where you are going, the thrust of your passion and your desire will propel you forward. Let yourself go!

(Overlooking a water spillway)

Finding your own way in a crowded marketplace

"Reggae Night" acrylic on canvas

In case you haven't noticed, I took some time off from painting this past year. I did a few fun things, personal projects; but for the most part, I stayed away from painting sessions with my art league and the usual mad dash of competitions and shows except for those already scheduled. I needed space and time (plus I had 1 wedding and 4 funerals).

I felt I was placing quantity over quality. The pressure was piling on, and in order to meet deadlines, I was slapping paint without experiencing the joy. There were still a few things on my to-do list that I wanted to complete, and a few old canvases that I painted over. But for the most part, I laid my brushes aside.

I’m trying to reassess what direction I want my creative energies to take. I want to enjoy what I’m doing more and not take myself or my journey so seriously. If success comes in the process of seeking, I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t, then I’ve enjoyed the ride.

"Prayer Circles, mixed media on canvas

Success and achievement require sweat, blood and tears, but if we aren’t having a good time it shows in the end product. Balance is the key, and I felt I was off balance spending too much time in social media and promotion, and not enough time on inspiration and soul searching. I needed to explore my weaknesses and strengths, and what I wanted to accomplish.

Joy must be a part of the creative life or our “children,” our babies suffer. Cranking out paintings for the sake of producing something that may or may not sell is a losing battle. There’s a difference between honing your skills every day in the act of fusing your passion and love or just going through the motions because “you’re supposed to.”

Waiting for inspiration is not the answer either. It’s an excuse. The fear of failure can shake us to the core and cause us to “seize up” in a nervous frenzy. In order to create, we must be in the moment and love the simple pleasures of applying paint to canvas regardless of whether the painting brings us success or not.

Playing to the judges or the critics doesn’t cut it. If we manipulate the thought process to satisfy others without the passion, the result may be a skilled piece of work that is flat and lifeless.

"Fish Market" mixed media on canvas

In a local publication called: “Inside Gateway-Colonial,” I read an article in their Lifestyle section titled “Simple Ways to Find Deeper Meaning” Unlock what’s inside – passion, individuality, community – to connect with what’s important by BPT News Service.

The author said “A new movement is emerging, where people are pausing to find deeper meaning in everyday life. . . The theory goes that if a person recognizes and nurtures those activities they love most, they are better able to do what they’re great at in the world. . . Rather than getting swept away in a hectic schedule, try focusing on what truly matters.”

I realized that I was focusing on what mattered to the judges, to people in my art circles, and to the critics, rather than to my own gut feelings. I was allowing my insecurities to rule rather than my strengths.

In the busyness of doing, I’d lost touch with myself and what was important to me. I was blind to the things that make me unique and different. I was trying to ape what I thought others wanted instead of listening to my own drum beat. Sometimes we have to be willing to make mistakes in order to forge ahead in new and uncharted territory.

"India Rising -- the Lost" mixed media on canvas

Painting Perfect Hair is a Harebrained Idea

Work-in-Progress -- "First Daffodil" 16x20 acrylic on canvas

Imagine that – painting hair can be both difficult and satisfying. To illustrate:  my “work-in-progress” at this stage, simply looks messy. Finding the right color is also tricky. In my efforts to add lightness, my basic color turned somewhat gray, muddy even. I will have to rectify that with warmer tones.

Of course, there is no such thing as perfect hair or there wouldn’t be the expression “bad hair day!” If you study the way hair frames the face and falls, you’ll see that to get the hair right, you have to get the shape of the head in proportion first. Once you have that down, block in the shapes of dark and light hair that follows the contours of the head. The more uneven these light shapes are the better.

"With these Hands -- Love" 24x18 mixed media on canvas

The next step in the painting process is painting the strands of hair or the shapes of hair that stand out or seem separate. Texture comes last of all as you fill in the strands and shapes with the “illusion” or appearance of hair. Getting the right color and texture is a matter of practice, trial and error.

For some reason, I find painting texture easier on birds and animals than I do on people. Perhaps because I’m not quite so obsessed with getting every hair or strand of feather and fur right. The patterns must be correct, but the individual strands of hair, not so much. Capturing the sunlight glistening from hair and contrasting that with shadow makes the fur or hair look realistic.

"Raccoons at Sunrise" 16x20 acrylic on canvas

Because of the way people and animals move, their covering is constantly changing. Don’t worry that you don’t get it exactly like your initial photograph or drawing. As long as it looks realistic, it will ring true.

Sometimes a painting can get slightly off as we apply paint. Paint is malleable. It changes and moves depending on the tool or brush we use and the medium we choose.

 I use a ruler to see how much my painting has enlarged from the original drawing. Has the width on either side of the face changed from the hair to the outer eye? Has the width of the nose between the eyes changed? When these distances increase, the shape of the head will change and throw the hair proportions off as well.

Once you fix the proportions, the hair will begin to take shape and form. Some people are genius when it comes to hair. Don’t be upset that yours doesn’t fall into place as you think it should. Practice does make perfect. In order to move beyond self doubt and floundering, keep attacking the problem until you find a modicum of improvement. Learn from your mistakes and you will become a better artist.

"Day Dreams" 11x14 oil on canvas