Stick To Your Apples

Well, I finally finished my enormous still life. It's nearly four feet long and two feet wide. Actually, I don't know the exact measurements but it required a lot of time, paint and hair pulling. The silver pitcher itself gave me fits. I must have spent three four to five hour sessions mixing and mixing to get the color right and then mixing some more in an effort to make it look metallic. My palette was a smear of umbers, yellows, blacks and blues. Then the green apples began to turn yellowish. Painting has it downside. Fruit and vegetables rot, flowers wilt. I always get paint over me - my hands, face, legs - you name it. Some of the paints aren't really safe -- namely the cadmiums which are heavy metals and penetrate the skin. I run to the bathroom many times during the course of a painting session to wash up.

There were many times when I got frustrated and almost painted a big X across the entire board, times when I felt like smashing it on the ground. But where would I have been then? No, to get something the way you want it, you have to persevere. Nothing comes of nothing, as somebody sang. The same applies to writing. If we give up on our work, then we have nothing to show. So, stick to you apples.

I'm off now to the studio. I talked with Robert yesterday who told me there's still a small problem with a couple of the apples. "It's worth spending a little more time on them." He gives us plenty of encouragement but never lets us get away with sloppy work either. I'm grateful for that.