Seven years ago, on this very date, I picked up a watercolor brush. I’ve come quite a ways from my first efforts, but what hasn’t changed a bit is my enthusiasm for the medium. Watercolor is magical – it can be transparent and luminous and it can also just stubbornly sit there and refuse to do what you want it to do. I love it. Not all of my paintings are wild successes – some are learning experiences that just don’t quite work the way I want them to. But that’s part of the process. Watercolor just does not mix with impatience and being all set on your expectations for the outcome. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy the journey so much. I’ve had unexpected moments when suddenly I “get” how to make something work – perspective, for instance. It’s still tricky for me, but I understand how it should work, which is a giant leap forward for me. Or how to make a curve so an object has “bend” to it. You do it dozens and dozens of times and suddenly – BAM! It comes together.
If you’re not willing to be lousy for a while, nothing’s worth trying. You keep at it and eventually, you’re a little less lousy. Then you are – sometimes – good at it. Progress isn’t a straight line, but it does move in a particular direction. Good Thing.
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