Life Lessons from Painting. Painting Lessons from Life.

These are a few things that I've learned  over the years in regards to painting and everyday life. This is the short list, and there are many more. But this is what seems important right now.  You could almost roll all of these into one. But I separated them for brevity. I'm sure I'll add more at a later date but this the unedited 5am version.


1. Fall in Love for the right reasons. A painting should be something that you can fall in love with over and over again. You might see it's faults in technique or execution, but it's over all theme always speaks to you. A painting should be something that you can create a relationship with and not just have a fling. And enduring painting requires a balance of passion and restraint. I've been lucky enough to have found a partner that I can love passionately but still talk directly with. We can argue all night long, both intelligently and with foolish abandonment of reason, relying only on emotional convictions. Yet in the morning we can always look at each other and be in love because we appreciate the "theme" of the other's existence. Fall in love with your paintings.

2. Step Back. Perspective is key. It's always easy to obsess over the details in life. We too often become entranced with that one little wrinkle in hand or that high light in an eye and forget about the rest of the painting. Then when we step back we realize that the whole thing is out of proportion. The same with life. It's too easy to get caught up in the stress of everyday events. Bills are due, groceries need to be bought, paintings aren't finished and deadlines are fast approaching. Stop. Breathe. Step back. Life is to be appreciated. There will always be deadlines. For paintings, for bills, for buying groceries. There is no point in stressing over these deadlines and dues that you think will aid in creating the life you want, if you are not already appreciating the life you have. Hug your loved ones, enjoy your coffee, simplify your life. Don't lose perspective on what life is all about.

3. Quality over quantity. Too often I have watched a deadline approach and not had paintings finished for it. I found myself rushing to complete works and cutting corners in the process. I learned that it's better to cut out works from a show and focus on making a smaller amount of higher quality than trying to fill the walls. Isolated mastery is always better than a multiplicity of mediocrity. Cut out extraneous things, don't cut corners.

4. Have convictions! Know what is important to you and stick to it. Speak your mind and defend your ideas and feelings passionately. This doesn't mean that you can't change your mind later, or be open to new ideas now. It just means that you shouldn't flounder in the tepid waters of safety. This goes for painting and everyday life. Decide what you want to say and say it. If you're found to be wrong later, don't be afraid to apologize. Generally I've found that in painting apologies are rarely needed, because it tends to be a natural evolution. Same with life. You might have regrets and mistakes that you've made, but you've recognized them and learned from them, and they have made you who you are today. Say what you mean, mean what you say. It's ok if it's not the same tomorrow. Nothing lives in stagnant water.

Well that's all I have right now. I suppose my point is that you should be yourself and own that shit. Don't be afraid to fuck up. Nothing was every achieved by not trying. And always be in a conscious dialog with yourself, your work, and your surroundings. And always fall in love with everything you do.

I'll leave you with a detail of a painting that I currently love, but her little quirks are really driving me nuts right now. she has yet to be finished. Happy painting everyone!