That Perfect Painting

Every morning I have two pieces of dry, hard toast and a mug of coffee while checking out Facebook. Art is what I look for strolling down my home page. I've made a point of requesting friendships, and accepting those of artists. Postings are not always to my liking. Somedays I have to stroll down my home page quite a bit before I come to a painting. I use the term “stroll” down instead of “scroll” because I feel I am strolling through my homepage looking for art like I do walking through the woods looking for that thing that will spark a feeling above the ordinary.

Each day I find a work of art that raises my awareness. The work of Stephen Magsig causes me to look closer at ordinary places around me. I love painting beautiful girls and the landscape around me, but seeing the works of Stephen, I take more time to look at the ordinary. One evening crossing the railroad tracks on my way home I paused to take a look at the scene and wondered what Stephen would do with the junk yard and train cars waiting to loaded? What would other artists do with such a subject? I have my young ladies and old barns while other artists have their subjects, longhorn cattle, or antiques.

We all put in the time to create beautiful works. I hold a deep respect for those artists who have put in the time and strive for that perfect painting. A perfection that seems to evade all artists, or so we think. We please others more than ourselves, so it seem. Never satisfied with our own work, we envy the works of others because we see perfection in their works, not realizing they too struggle and are eager to get onto the next painting that will be perfect. It's that desire to bring perfection to the next painting that feeds the need to continue our studying even after art school and workshops.

How we define that perfect painting is a question with a thousand answers. The other day several artist defined the perfect painting as being free of people. What a strange answer I thought. Another person said a painting, to be perfect, must carry a meaningful message. We all have our reasons for creating our art.

The Weight I Place On My Pencil

Sketching people is a way for me to understand them. Models I hire tell me about themselves, their family history, their friendships and how they see the world. They question me about my history, bringing forgotten adventure back with smiles and with tears. People I sketch at Jake's become acquaintances, and then friends. Sketching, I become a better listener and see others points of view a bit clearer. There is a intensity to sketching allowing us to see more clearly. Moments of understanding come about.

Without the pencil in my hand placing lines where needed, I would be forming my point of view to counter opinions coming my way. As I sketch and study my subject, my mind is more receptive to what I hear. I am not in to debating or thinking of my own experiences - I am solely into who my subject is.

The homeless man wants me to understand and see his worth. He tells me his story and I see a different person before me. Weathered lines are more important and carry more dignity, influencing the weight I place on my pencil. I draw with my entire body. Whether it be dignity or beauty, my entire body is affected as I sketch. Any stress I may have fades away as I sketch.