I can finally eat this jar of jam.
Whoops, where'd the last 2 months go? Before I ramble on, here's my very overdue homework assignment, of a still life emphasizing white, or all the colors in white as the case may be. Done in pastel, 18x22.
The long story is that I've been struggling with an acrylic version of it for months now. Even with the special mediums that keep acrylic from drying so fast, it's still nearly impossible to get smooth transitions. At a certain point I had already invested so much time in it that I didn't want to just quit so I kept trudging away, getting more discouraged by the minute. When I decided to quit art altogether, I knew it was time to quit that painting and give this still life one more shot in my favorite medium. I once had an art instructor tell me that a real artist can create a beautiful artwork from any medium, no matter how ill-suited to the subject. I think this little jar of persimmon jam shows just how much I disagree.
I haven't just been struggling over this still life for the last 2 months - I've also been doing a fair number of plein air drawings. They've been challenging, and although I see progress, I definitely need more practice. The drawing trips themselves have been amazing. Just me and my dog, out in the woods, not noticing as the hours pass by. It's enough to make me want to keep trying.
It was a rather nice feeling, being able to take 2 months on an assignment. I think that's the way this pretend class is going to go from now on. My dog and I have mountains to climb.
The long story is that I've been struggling with an acrylic version of it for months now. Even with the special mediums that keep acrylic from drying so fast, it's still nearly impossible to get smooth transitions. At a certain point I had already invested so much time in it that I didn't want to just quit so I kept trudging away, getting more discouraged by the minute. When I decided to quit art altogether, I knew it was time to quit that painting and give this still life one more shot in my favorite medium. I once had an art instructor tell me that a real artist can create a beautiful artwork from any medium, no matter how ill-suited to the subject. I think this little jar of persimmon jam shows just how much I disagree.
I haven't just been struggling over this still life for the last 2 months - I've also been doing a fair number of plein air drawings. They've been challenging, and although I see progress, I definitely need more practice. The drawing trips themselves have been amazing. Just me and my dog, out in the woods, not noticing as the hours pass by. It's enough to make me want to keep trying.
It was a rather nice feeling, being able to take 2 months on an assignment. I think that's the way this pretend class is going to go from now on. My dog and I have mountains to climb.