"I'm not perfect!"

Here is a link to one of Ted Talks lectures. If you've never listened to one you're in for a treat. there's a wide range of topics by really great speakers. A friend passed it on to me just at a time when I was getting nervous about "doing the perfect demo" for my upcoming workshop in Naples.
I always tell myself that even if the painting doesn't come out as one my best at least the students would see the concepts and know that it's always a struggle which is part of the learning process and part of the fun. Then there's the noise in my head that says "when I was taking workshops I wanted to see great art being made, why wouldn't they?" This lecture addresses issues of courage, self-worthiness and perfectionism!! It affected me so deeply that I had dreams about it last night and woke up thinking,"yeah, I'm not perfect!" So I apologize to my students ahead of time if I don't get the best onion painting I ever did, but that doesn't mean I won't try!!

Onion and Grapes

Using a single sphere next to a cluster of spheres is a good way to explain massing while demonstrating how to paint a realistic object. Of course we'll cover how warm and cool colors are the secrets and which five tones are needed to round an object! All covered in my book!!
I've done this set up so many times and am amazed how different it comes out each time! I would have loved to do another attempt to get even more paint on the surface but I was one the lucky ones to catch this ugly 24 hour virus that's going around and it's really taken a lot out of me. The reason I didn't have as much paint on the board as I usually do is that I used the previous day's palette. Even though the paint seemed wet enough it really is never the same as freshly put out paint. Just shows once again not to be stingy or lazy; always shows in the end. I took a chance since these winter days are so short I didn't want to have to paint when it was dark out; I feel I can never see the colors even with all these natural lights. I envy those painters who can paint oils in their basements!
"Onion and Grapes" 3 3/8"x 2 1/2" oil on board