One Artist's Journey

"Swim LIke a Duck" - 12" x 12" Acrylic and graphite on Massonite - $200

I have been wanting to get back to were I was when I was doing art full time 13 years ago. But you know what? I don’t think the search ever ends. I can get back to the level I was at, or better – but I hope that when I get there, I am still driven to be better and better.

Aren’t the great artists always searching for the next great breakthrough in their art? I don’t think that for a true artist, that journey ever really ends. Henry Moore, the sculptor said, “There’s no retirement for an artist, it’s your way of living so there’s no end to it.” I think I have to agree Once one has chosen this path, it becomes a way of life, and there really is no end.

I am going to make an effort to live in the moment and follow my bliss. I keep trying to catch up. I need to enjoy where I am.

Going to the studio. I have 1.5 hours until the boys get home. Let’s see what I can come up with today – being in the moment.

Kanji #5 - 12” x 12” Acrylic and Ink on Masonite - $200

I really really like how this one turned out. First I wet the board with a spray bottle, then I used a big sumi ink stick to draw the kanji. Then I went ape and painted the color around it. I didn’t like all of it, so I stood up the board and used the spray bottle to remove some of the paint. I think it turned out really nice. I like the dry and wet ink look.

Dwellings #5 - 12” x 16” Acrylic on Masonite - $200

PAINTINGS COMPLETED TODAY: 5
PAINTINGS COMPLETED TO DATE: 23

Worked on the Fine Art Pics today and did a few I really liked. I completed another “dwelling” piece. This one I zoomed in a little more on my source photograph and the buildings ended up a little bigger. I like that. I need enough space to freely move my brush in, so the bigger buildings helps. A bigger canvas would probably help too.

I am going to write my thoughts for the day and then give a little explanation about each piece in a separate post, so I can have an image with it. Multiple images per post gets a little awkward. This will give readers a little more insight into my mind (a scary thought) but on the other hand, it might help – and be entertaining for you!

Kanji #1 - 12” x 12” Acrylic on Masonite - $200

PAINTINGS COMPLETED TODAY: 4
PAINTINGS COMPLETED TO DATE: 16

I have decided to keep track of how many paintings I complete so I don’t have to go back and count them again and again.

After looking at the two of the abstract images I did last week, my wife mentioned they looked like Kanji, or Japanese or Chinese characters. So, I Googled some beginning Kanji (up, down, man, woman, etc.) and decided to paint those today. I used them as a starting point in some abstract paintings. I think they turned out OK.

Kanji #2 - 12” x 12” Acrylic on Masonite - $200

Last week, I did 5 paintings on Monday and hardly made it down to the studio after that. That isn’t the point of this experiment to paint 100 paintings. The point is to get into the studio for the next 100 days and create art.

So, I made an effort to get down there today I ended up completing four paintings. I need to get down to the studio (I say “down” because it is downstairs) and paint every single day till New Years.

While painting, I get frustrated because what I am doing looks silly or contrived. But then I have to remind myself that this is supposed to be fun and natural. “Art is Fun and Natural.” I should engrave that and put it up on the wall.

Here’s to Fun and Natural…