Walk Before You Run

Yesterday I learned that “you need to learn to walk before you run” holds true in the painting world as well.  I had a great idea of what I wanted to paint next, but as I started running I fell right on my face.   

My first painting was done by following Gil’s guidance, brush stroke by brush stroke while Gil mixed the paint.  I learned a lot, but not enough to do the painting of the Portland Head Light that I choose to do next.  It’s a beautiful picture that we took last summer during the Maine Event and would make a wonderful painting.  But, it was like trying to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony before learning the scales.

Okay, so just what am I going to paint next?  Well, for one thing, I need to learn how to mix paint.  As you can see from the picture above, there are several shades of blue so the question becomes, “What color blue do I start with as a base and then what do I mix with it?”  Obviously I would use white, but do I add a little black to make a very light grey first?  This is obviously a starting point.

Next, where do I start a painting on the canvas?  And how do I proceed from there?  But even more basic, how do I make a cloud, or a tree, or a rock, or ripples in the water?  So, what am I going to paint next?

Clouds!!!  I’m going to learn how to paint the sky and make clouds.  Then I’ll move onto trees, evergreens and colorful hardwoods.  From there, we’ll just need to see what comes next.  In any event, I need to learn to walk first and then I’ll need to walk for a little while before I start running.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -