Daily Painting

Week Two

What is action? Action is commonplace, right action is not. As a discipline, it’s not any kind of action that will do, but directed action. Everything must be done in the service of the whole. Step by step, action by action, we’ll dismantle the obstacles in front of us. With persistence and flexibility, we’ll act in the best interest of our goals. Action requires courage, not brashness–creative application and not brute force. Our movements and decisions define us: We must be sure to act with deliberation, boldness, and persistence. Those are the attributes of right and effective action. Nothing else — not thinking or evasion or aid from others. Action is the solution and the cure for our predicaments.

{Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way}

Week two of daily painting is finished.

I painted every day, so in that respect, I feel I’ve been successful.

Last week I typed, Resistance, you’ve met your match. 

It didn’t phase me to be so bold.

This isn’t my first rodeo.

As a kid I was last string pick for the basketball team. I overheard someone tell my parents that they were worried I wouldn’t make the team the next year. I practiced hours and hours and started the next year. When French became extremely difficult in college, I told myself to put my head down and get to work, because I’d been in hard places before. I graduated with French as my minor. I tackled building my interior design business in a less-than-ideal location the same way. If you push long enough, something will eventually give.

I am used to battling Resistance on this front. Don’t want to run in the morning? Push him aside. He’s a bit of a coward if you call him out.

With my stand last week, it seemed he had left to chase down an easier target. I was free, for now.

On Monday, I got into my studio as fast as I could. An idea struck late last week that had me excited. It had something to do with redheaded children riding draft horses or llamas in crazy outfits.

Don’t worry too much about it. It’s going to be fabulous when I get it to work.

But it didn’t work.

No big deal. The idea is solid and tucked away for the right moment.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is say “this isn’t working” right off the bat and give another idea a shot. I wiped all the work I’d done that day away and wasn’t sorry about it one bit.

Don’t be content if things look pretty good. Make it good. If it promises well, make it better, realizing that you’ll probably destroy the finest things you ever do. But you’ve got to do it in the endeavor to take them beyond mere academics and into a fine piece of art. {Harvey Dunn}

Thanks Harvey. 

I decided to tackle a still life on Tuesday. I haven’t done many and it seemed like a structured way to get through a big painting. The paint was still wet from the day before, but I dug in anyway. It gets worse before it gets better, right?

Wednesday I was all focus. After a good night’s sleep, I saw the messy drawing with new eyes. The pitcher was creating a tangent I didn’t like. It needed to be switched. I dug in for five hours and didn’t wear out. Things simply got too wet, or I would have kept going.

I had a quiet evening to reflect. I had been brave enough to throw a bad idea out. Awesome. I had successfully improved the composition of a big painting. I congratulated myself and settled into a book.

That’s when Resistance showed up.

It startled me. He sat down next to me, dressed in a sharp-fitting suit. The top button of his shirt was unbuttoned, like he’d finished up an important day at work. He was casual and had a wry smile. He was full of confidence that one gets with financial success and had a drink in one hand to sip every time he made a point.

“Don’t you know today was a waste of time?”

Sip.

“You’ve tried this before, and it didn’t work.”

Sip.

“You aren’t contributing this way. Have fun with your little hobby.” Then he stood up, shook his head in disgust, and threw the drink into the crackling fire. He was gone as silently as he’d shown up.

You know that sick feeling you get when you’ve had a bad confrontation? When all you can do is sit there, dumbfounded, after the unexpected attack?

That was me for the rest of the evening.

I woke up Thursday with the same feeling, although it was more dull than sharp.

Writing a description of Resistance was all I could do to move on. It helped a little, and I was able to put in some painting time after my scheduled “work-on-my-business” duties.

By the end of the day I’d written some coherent notes.

Need to push form/painterly lines/reflected light.

Paint looks chalky. 

Bread is a bad shape (flat, square blob). Needs to be more interesting. I like the slices.

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It’s Friday while I type this blog post.

I spent the morning pulling the horses to the farrier and battling Wyoming’s wicked winter roads. Traveling was slow but we weren’t the car on the side of the road with flashing hazards, so that’s something. The horses have happy feet now.

After that fiasco and some cleaning with the kids, I was able to paint. I changed the bread. It’s not pretty yet, but it’s not a square blob either.

I now have a solid starting point for a painting. I’m still feeling crappy after Wednesday, but what do you do?

Resistance, you’re no joke. 

Whatever. Sneer at me all you want. 

I’ll be back again Monday.