Garlic - 4 Ways

In the most recent set of painting classes, one thing I learned (or learned again) is how helpful it is to mix in a few exercises from time to time. It helps prevent bad habits or getting stuck. I've been feeling as though I am regressing to a tight and fussy place, so I decided to do a page of timed paintings.

#240 - 10 Minute Garlic Paintings - 8" x 8" - paper

 The first one was in the upper left hand corner. I literally felt like a deer in the headlights. It took me 2 1/2 minutes to draw, but I did stay within the 10 minutes. I used a size 8 brush. The right side and bottom is not very true to form.

The second painting was even tougher. In the timer app I use, I thought I had saved settings that included a 10-minute timer with 2 1/2 minute interval reminders. Nope, the interval reminders have to be turned on each time. Since I was not watching the timer and I did not use time well, here is the 10 minute mark. I gave myself some additional time to finish. The colors look very different since this photo was in the basement while the above photo was in natural light.

For paintings 2 to 4, I switched to a Princeton Snap Bright size 10. Actually, I was going to do each one with a different sized brush. Once I picked up this brush, I wanted to continue to play with it. Swoon. This brush is probably 2-3 millimeters wider than the normal size 10 brush I use.  While it was a challenge to use it in a 4 inch by 4 inch space, I really liked how this brush felt and picked up paint. When using it for the backgrounds, it just felt good. For the smaller bits, it felt like being in the kitchen and using a 13 inch chef's knife when I normally use a 9 inch one. It will take some calibration, but I see potential and fun with this brush.

While I'm not fond of any of the results (which is not the point of doing this exercise), I really enjoyed the process of doing these timed paintings. It was both engaging and energizing. After the long string of painting landscapes from pictures, it was good to try and use a viewfinder again (frustrating, but good), use a different paint brush, and just change things up.

One other thing......I get the letters from the Painters Keys by email. They are also available on the web. I really like this part from the 07/03/18 talking about master.

"In George Leonard’s remarkable little book, Mastery, he draws on Zen philosophy and the martial art of aikido. He shows that the mastering of any non-trivial activity can be plotted on a graph where relatively small gains are made at intervals, followed by slight declines — and then by prolonged plateaus where nothing much seems to be happening. Those who become masters, he says, are the ones who learn to live with and accept these plateaus."

To me, this sums up the reason to keep up my daily painting practice. If I want to see any improvements over time, I need to just keep painting. When the end result seems terrible, I need to paint the next day anyway. If I'm in a rut, I need to do something different, but paint anyway. Just keep painting. Just keep painting.