The Journey

“Those who carry on their work as a demonstration of preconceived thesis may have the joys of egotistic success but not the fulfillment of an experience for its own sake.”

 John Dewey, Art as Experience, p.144

I found this quote tucked in the binding of an old journal last week.  I returned to it again today after a frustrating morning in battle with a painting.  In an attempt to grow – and not just produce hundreds of little paintings that I know will work- I tried a larger piece again today.  I used a bigger knife, larger shapes; all of the things I thought would fix the problem.  I had progress, but not complete success.  But today I remind myself that this is necessary for the journey.

Wasted Paint is Bad

I remember well a MIAD instructor I once had telling me and the rest of the painting class never to waste paint.  “Keep a stack of panels handy” she would say, because left over paint on the palette could always be something.  Well here is my something.  So, using generic interpretations of my landscape theme I have composed these mini studies on a gessoed piece of watercolor paper that I taped off.  I am doing them in between panel paintings.  Great things are happening actually.  It is always an invigorating feeling when you let go and play, and it is good.