What is Art

This has been an incredible experience. I could tell you about the amazing friendships I have made, or the incredible beauty that is Aruba both in character and form, but they are both too enriching to be believable. Seriously.

What I would like to talk with you about is 'art'. There has been a lot on my mind this whole time. How do I approach this project - with a camera? Painting from life? What would Zorn or Sargent or Repin or Burdick or Sorolla do... so much wisdom and guidance. And intimidation. What SHOULD I be doing? Like they say, be careful what you ask for, you might just get it. I'm here, now what.

Should I pull out the camera and feel horrible at the idea of painting from a reference that is distorted and in every way nothing about what was before me at the time? Or go the noble route and paint from real life and get frustrated that it's limitations just can't satisfy what I see in my head for this project? And didn't those guys use models? WTF, How do I use 'live' people like I have in the past, while getting beyond artistically from the liabilities that come it? Feeling inadequate in every sense.

The two lifelines I have is that none of this matters (except to me), and secondly, I am here by myself - no distraction, no, negativity, no pressure, no schedule, so in other words, no excuse not to succeed.

So with the above in mind every day has rolled out intuitively. And the puzzle is coming together.

I won't bore you with the details but I can tell you this has been a genius idea to grow artistically and personally. I've learned what aspects I enjoy that sets me apart, what holes I must passionately commit to fill if I expect to improve, and above all, a sense of reaffirmation for the joy that art brings to me and through me in it's act.

Art is a verb that aspires to be a noun when it grows up..


Happy Mothers's Day