Violas and Art Expectations

After a week of posting drawings/paintings and writing these notes, I am dismayed/wryly amused to find that this newsletter feels just like me. I was sort of expecting them to feel like someone else. If I’m honest, I was hoping it would be some sort of magical panacea that made me a better artist, much closer to the artist that I’d like to be. I guess this is the hope of all people with new tools. We want them to instantaneously make us better versions of ourselves with all our stuff figured out. And mostly what new tools do is allow us to do what we already do differently, and sometimes a bit better, once you know how.

When I’m being properly introspective, this is definitely for the best. The nebulous “be the artist I’d like to be” is a weird end-goal. In fact, an end-goal in art seems to me to be counter-productive. The whole point (for me, at least) is to keep going, make new paintings share them, and get better, a bit at a time, each painting informing the next and helping me get a bit better. As cheesy as it sounds, it really is a journey over destination thing. So I’m glad that this newsletter just feels like me, and not like super me. I like having a new tool that allows me to share my work, and connect me to you lovely people. 

Anyways, I guess that’s enough abstract art philosophy. Today I started painting some other (non peony) flowers at our front door. Flowers are tough for me, and I’m sure these ones aren’t there yet. But I’m having fun doing these flower paintings and learning from them. And hopefully, getting a bit better.

-ZR