Each artist has their own unique gifts they can bring to their practice. Perhaps, if nothing else, it is the unique perspective of each artist that can serve their work and serve their viewers best. I have always been drawn to the works done by impressionists. The works of artists like Monet, van Gogh, and Cézanne have always captured my attention and curiosity.
These artists possessed the ability to convey a sense of feeling through their art which transcends that which is possible through other mediums. As an artist who is in the midst of a shift of sorts, having just started to create with oil paints, I cannot help but wonder how many miles of canvas it will take to get close tho their level of skill and ability to convey similar feelings to viewers.
"I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing." — Paul Cézanne
The COVID pandemic has brought with it immeasurable loss for so many. It also has brought more space into the lives of many. This may be realized in several ways. For some it may be realized by way of more time, more family time, more alone time and in some cases more time to create.
Therein exists a paradox for me personally. On one hand, I wish this whole nightmare was not happening. On the other hand, I am grateful for some of what is happening within the storm. For example, I wake up grateful that I can paint early in the morning when my family is still asleep and job related tasks must wait til core business hours.
I am grateful that most of the folks I know are relatively healthy. I am grateful I am drawn to paint and see this as an incredible opportunity to improve a skill set I had put on the back burner for a long time. I am grateful I can connect with people who appreciate the art I am producing. It is a healthier way to mark the time too... at least relative to other alternatives I might otherwise chose.
For now, I'll be content with knowing next to nothing in my little vocation of painting, the occasional adventure that comes up for me and my family, trying to remain productive with my full time occupation of 401k sales, my early morning painting sessions and waiting for youth soccer and baseball to begin again.