Here's another thought that has been on my mind lately, especially as I see the struggles of my students attempting to excel as oil painters.  They seem to be surprised at how difficult it is...as if creating paintings should simply be "fun". 

And again when I am outside painting on location and the passerbyers(?) comment on how much "fun" I must be having...
When in reality, creating paintings is one of the most challenging, even grueling, things I have ever done. Yet it is also one of the most satisfying and amazing things I have ever done. 

Given the absolute commitment required to grow as an artist in a field where success is so hard to come by, it is almost as if to succeed one must become obsessed with succeeding, never content with mere mediocrity, and unrelenting in the pursuit of becoming a great artist.

Many people think that "talent" is all you need and if you have talent then success is yours for the wanting.  Well, I think I am indeed blessed with talent and I am very thankful for that.  However talent itself is not enough. The master painter Clark Hulings said it best when he said, "Most of us artists have a gift.  But a gift is an inclination and some small ability to do something along with a great deal of application and hard work."

And so off I go, feeling both tormented by my never-ending desire to become the best artist I can be, and the extreme gratification in knowing that indeed I am called to be an artist.

Did you know that I began teaching at the White Bear Center for the Arts this fall?  It has been very cool to watch the growth of these new painters as they take their first baby steps into the world of oil painting... from the very beginning as they learned  how to lay out paint on the pallette...to a finished painting!

We walked together through the journey of toning the canvas, deciding on a focal point, and becoming brave enough to actually put paint on the canvas!  It's funny because most beginning painters are the same in that they are all afraid to actually USE the paint that they came to class to learn how to use!  But as they grow, they eventually start to see and feel the beauty of actually applying the paint to the canvas.  That is a very good thing.

Then there is the joy of actually seeing the student apply a skill in the next painting that we struggled through on the first painting.  Of course the student has no clue they actually did this, so it is very fun to be able to point out their progress!

In my beginning classes we work on a painting together because I think it is very valuable to see the way I paint and hear what is going on in my mind as I make certain decisions.  I like this part because apparently I am quite the yacker and there is no shortage of insight that I am willing to share.  I feel so passionate about painting that I really want my students to have an understanding about why we do what we do!

The painting above is my version of the first painting our class worked on.

P.S. I'd love to have you or your friend(s) as a student.  You can find out about my classes at www.whitebeararts.org

Although I'm still feeling a little bit lucky as I finish following up on post-show business, I can't help but wonder why in the world anyone would work so hard for such sporadic, if not at times non-existent, paychecks!

Yet, creating art, expressing myself on canvas, is something I would do regardless of financial gain, or lack thereof.  Sometimes I absolutely can't wait to get to my easel and slather on some paint...my soul is ready to burst... all the planets are aligned or something like that.  And everything just flows... I'm in the zone...get out of my way everyone, I'm painting!

Other times however, it's another story...Painting is hard work. Sometimes I'm afraid to go there...sometimes it's hard to just begin, or other times I'm stuck and it just seems easier to tidy up the studio, or throw in another load of laundry, or try to write my very first blog entry.  Hmmm, I've done all of those today, so you can imagine what's going on with the painting currently on my easel!

That's the good thing about having a show, I guess: I have no choice!  The date is set; the invitation is at the printer; the show must go on!  Apparently I work better under pressure and as the months turn to weeks and the weeks turn to days before the show I find myself painting with wild abandon, cranking out new images with passion and adrenalin, not the least bit intimidated by the thought of stepping up to the easel. 

And so now that the show is over my hope is that I can maintain the awesome flurry of creation that precedes each show.