Paint Like No One Is Watching

Hello! Here is a painting I did during my class last night at Lafayette Studio. My goal here was to practice my values painting these lovely ballet shoes, not to do a great painting. I am working on trying to practice more and not be so attached to everything I work on. I am thinking that will help me feel more free to paint more often by not having to find the "perfect" reference. Like many artists, I fight fear and doubt on a daily basis, trying to knock off  that little gremlin sitting on my shoulder, whispering (sometimes yelling) "there is no WAY you can do that!"  Sometimes fear makes it difficult to even get started. Hmmm, maybe every time.

I have been studying under Patsy Taylor for several years. She is an amazing instructor and has taught me more than I can even put into words. You can see her fabulous work here. I think maybe the most important thing I have learned from her (so far) is that painting well is a lot of WORK! And just like everything else in life your success depends so much more on EFFORT than on TALENT. So I've found that a great way to get rid of that little gremlin is to remind myself that STARTING will make me a better painter - even if I don't end up with a finished piece every time.

---