Things Every Artist Needs to Know

Painting is a process. We perfect our skill as we practice our craft: mixing colors, choosing the right brush, understanding the principles of drawing and composition, etc.

Here are some important things I’ve learned along the way:

Never put your coffee cup beside your turpenoid jar.

Don’t correct a small flaw in a painting before going out for the evening. A flaw turns into a major change, into an overhaul.

Don’t participate in an art show on a windy day. A damp oil painting attracts a lot of dust and gravel when the wind blows. Choose your infrastructure wisely: an easel turns into a toothpick under stress; even an expensive frame cracks and splinters when it hits the pavement.

If you’re into impressionism and paint outdoors (plein air), where you sit matters! If in a field or meadow avoid the cowpies, the fire ants, the clusters of burdock. Trees make wonderful shade, but they also house a menagerie of problems. (use your imagination!)

There’s always a price to be paid for success. When you spend more time on your craft:
The house gets cleaned less
Meals are less appetizing and more frugal
You go out to dinner more and entertain less
Your closets are filled with painting supplies
Finished paintings are stacked in boxes under your bed
You have more painting clothes than regular clothes
Your friends tend to be artists
Your husband or significant other is becoming impatient
You wish you had more time, but you don’t

And so it goes……..