Recently, while at Nahcotta, I had the pleasure of meeting one of their clients who has purchased my work on several occasions. Standing in front of one of my paintings, he asked, in a very nice way, “How long did it take you to paint this?” I started with “Well, about twenty years and…then some number of hours.” Immediately, I could imagine him calculating my hourly rate……..and I was really hoping that he was factoring in the twenty years!! It is such a reasonable question. Particularly when one is spending quite a bit of money on artwork, it is reasonable to want to quantify that purchase somehow….in addition to the most important factor of it feeding one’s soul. I have been thinking about that conversation quite a bit of late. As I am exploring a new medium, I find myself remembering my struggles with pastels in the early days….and the feeling of utter elation and surprise when I got one to actually work! Hmmmmm, I would think, “If only I could get that to happen again.” In time, I did develop a better understanding of my materials and a clearer vision for my work. But even today, there are paintings that I am unable to resolve. Every painting, successful or unsuccessful, informs the painting on my easel today. Even when I am not painting, I am thinking about painting. I am looking at light, shadows, reflections, color, values and shapes all the time! Observing. Composing. It is all is part of my creative process.
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