Time Passages

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Patricia, Michele's is the best suggestion.
And if you feel like painting just set up a small life and go for it. If you practice on still life you will get to this summer workshop with a feeling for brushes and colours. Painting is a little like exercising, you must work out regularly. You need to feel at ease with your weapons.
Don't be scared of facing a more challenging media such as oils, we all started, once!
If you have practiced a lot of linear drawing maybe you can set it aside for a while and start drawing in paint
Ilaria

[Patricia Joyce]

Michele and Ilaria,

I am always pushing myself because I feel like I don't have enough time to accomplish all that I want to accomplish. I guess it would do me well to relax a little. I will admit that I am intimidated by oils, though I am getting more comfortable with paintbrush and medium. The portrait sketches I have done with oils always end in complete, muddy frustration.

Perhaps setting up a still life is a good idea and one I will play with this weekend.

Thank you

[Michele Rushworth]

I am always pushing myself because I feel like I don't have enough time to accomplish all that I want to accomplish.

Don't expect that feeling to go away. I paint full time and I feel exactly the same way.

[Patricia Joyce]

I do like William Whitaker's advice too. When I want a portrait to be really, really top notch, like a recent one I finished for my portfolio, I am not happy with the finished product. I see in my head what I want and I can't pull it off yet...

but then, yesterday I decided to do a portrait of my father for Father's Day of a pic I have of him from his Navy days sixty-one years ago. All day it was shear pleasure, I was in the zone, it sang it's way out of me and at day's end I had a great start to a drawing I know he will love. So, yesterday was an act of love all day. But, the past three weeks have been a struggle to accomplish a goal. I suppose both experiences are worthwhile as ANY art we do is towards better work.

But that "TIME's running out" thing is what often gets in my way. It is a pressure only I put on myself. Who else does it really matter to whether or not I accomplish great paintings?

Where do you and other professionals draw the line on family obligations, like graduation parties, birthday parties, showers, weddings, reunions. It seems this summer is full of these obligations, all of which I want to make excuses for and stay at home to paint . . .