Telling a story through my art is important to me, but I'm not always able to do so... I love the figure and I love relationships - mother and child, sisters resting on a Sunday afternoon, a boy and his dog, an old couple sharing an apple in the shade of tree they planted when they were newlyweds.
Sometimes I'm not always able to handle a painting with a story, yet, unable to put down my brushes down, I turn to subjects that for me are fairly simple. Recently after finishing up a landscape from out of my head, I needed to relax. Portraits are the simplest subjects for me due to the fact I began my interest in art doing portraits of real and TV cowboys.
Yesterday I decided to really take a day off from work, and do a portrait of Josephine, my 16-month-old adopted granddaughter. Josephine has been inspiring me with her explorations in my studio since she came into the world. I'd love to do her portrait from life but, crawling or walking, she is a little whirlwind. Each visit I simply study her, her coloring, her features, her smile. Yesterday I selected one of my photos of Josephine, one that keeps me smiling. By the end of the day, I was totally reenergized and had a nice sketch to hang in my studio that I can look at when things aren't going right.

Beauty is what most artists I know look for when looking for something to paint; beautiful women, beautiful landscapes, beautiful flowers. I'm talking and thinking about artists whose style runs along realistic, not abstract lines. Artists who paint for a living or are serious amateurs who do not need to rely on a sale.

How important is beauty? How do such artists define the concept of beauty? Is it simply finding the most beautiful scene to paint or just painting roses? For many, it's as simple as finding a beautiful young girl. For many years that is what I did. At times I still just paint a rose or a sunset or a beautiful girl, because I need to produce paintings. Something I do now, that I did not do when I was very young, is find a way to make each painting special - to me and to the person who decides they want to live with my work for a very long time. My collectors want something unique, which is what a great many successful artists give them. They add flare to their roses, they add their personal vision to their landscapes. I, myself, always find a moment to add to my work.

We artists have moments when we see clearly - when we see with more than our eyes. All our senses come into play, all our beliefs come into play. My dad's "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right". My Mom's love of flowers and both their belief in being part of the community.The secret that so many painters look for and hope a master artist will reveal to them is "finding oneself" and finding a way to put oneself into one's work.

I've talked about Bob and Don a few times. Bob can copy a photo perfect or capture a scene before him perfect. His paintings look great, but they lack that reaching out to the viewer's heart. Don, who cannot draw worth a lick and has no understanding of composition can grab one's heart by putting his soul into each of his paintings.

Not everyone is capable of understanding the importances of being different. For so many, it is more important to be perfect. At 71 I'm enjoying my imperfections.

Subjects That Are Fairly Simple

Enjoying My Imperfections