Saturday, January 16, 2016

I Hate Painting

Three of five works in progress, various sizes
Most people assume making art is enjoyable, but for me it has always been "work"--i.e., struggle, staying focused, etc. To paraphrase the great Dorothy Parker, I hate painting, I love having painted. (I feel a little better knowing she felt the same way about writing.)

Over the past couple of years, I have been addicted to showing small paintings on my blog and Facebook and selling them on DPW. I even perfected the art of scanning wet paint pieces, so I could show them minute they were finished. This addiction forced me to paint alla prima and (when I painted at all) to finish relatively quickly. Selling a fair number and feeling obligated to regularly post more is motivating. However, I've realized that if everything is auctioned online (and for bargain basement prices) I won't have enough inventory for my scheduled 2016 shows and open studio.

Working on several large and small pieces simultaneously has slowed the process a bit, and it occurs to me this may have some advantages, too. It allows  better reassessment after focusing on a different painting for awhile, and working on drier paint makes changes and layering somewhat easier.

But I get impatient with the process still prefer "having painted."

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