I Write; I Paint

I write out of obedience. My brain fills up with ideas. The only way to clear it out is to write it all down on paper or type it into the computer. Then it fills up again. Sometimes I get behind. It’s nice when my brain settles and I get caught up and get organized. And then it starts all over again.

Don’t get me wrong, I like to write, it’s just never ending. And a novel is so very long and always needs to be rewritten.

That’s why blogs are nice; they’re short and easy to publish.

But I love to paint. I was in art classes all though high school and majored in fine arts in college. I graduated in graphic design, which I don’t do any more. Don’t even miss it.

I gave up painting and drawing a long time ago. There was just too many other things. Then there wasn’t time when I started writing novels and even less time when I started this blog.

I get jealous when I see a friend panting. Not envious, but wishing I was doing the same thing. Of course, I get the same felling when I hear someone has published twenty books and I don’t have one published as of yet.

It took me two months to paint Chuck’s Meadow, not because it’s a large panting, it’s not, but because of indecision and fear of making a mistake.  You can read about this painting in Multitasking,

I settled on sky, mountains, a few trees, and a meadow. I didn’t like the mountains, but it took awhile before I finally painted over them. I made the trees larger and stretched the meadow up. Then I wouldn’t paint the flowers for fear I’d mess up my beautiful grass.

I kept hearing some teacher’s voice telling me not be afraid. I can always paint over it. Just do it. Still I hesitated.

One day I took a deep breath and just did it. And it was perfect.

Evening’s Peace

The next painting took about two weeks. I had some of the same fears, what if I messed up, but this time I didn’t let it stop me.

I can’t paint from out of my head. I have to see it and copy it. I used to  try to make it exactly like what I saw, but this last painting, I decided I’d use the picture as an inspiration. My painting looks nothing like the original.

I also learned I don’t have to sit down and do a painting in one sitting. I can work on it for ten minutes here and 15 minutes there.

For me, painting is like breathing. It’s like going on vacation. And when it’s finished, I feel victorious. I feel like I can do anything.

Okay, my painting’s not that great, but they make me feel that good. It’s like I found apart of myself that I’d lost and now I feel more like me.

So I’ll keep painting. The novel will come first, the blog second, and then painting. I already have the next two lined up and the background started.

As I finish one, I’ll place it at the end of a post, and on the Gallery Page. Hope you enjoy them

Category : Just About Me, My Art