A Banquet of Understandings

This time of year is always a reflective time for me — and this year even more so. Due to the constraints the COVID pandemic has placed on the entire world, I have had a lot of time, like you, time to worry and time to watch the news and more time than I should have spent on social media. At times, I have been hard on myself for not being braver, more disciplined and more productive. But in this last months of the year, I’ve decided to give myself something truly valuable to help me make sure that I move forward towards a better year next year. That gift is grace. 

With a sigh of understanding and perspective, I’ve decided that under the conditions, I’ve done well enough this year. No, I didn’t get a blog post out on the first of every single month, but the messages I have shared with all of you are always real and always meant to help you understand more about me and my creative and business processes. Yes, I spent too much time watching the news and so I didn’t paint the extra paintings I could have, but I was able to create a small handful of the best works I’ve ever made and they have been recognized as Semi-Finalists in the 15th annual ARC Salon. I did spend too much time online, but I also created a wonderful set of Facebook groups, both monetized and free groups, that have helped me connect on a monthly basis with artists around the world, and in these special groups I’ve been able to help both myself and many artists grow in their art journeys, and through their art, cope with an extraordinarily unsettling world. And I missed the deadline on finishing my instructional video, but I did get to interview renowned artist Nancy Guzik which yielded a treasure trove of lessons and insights into painting children and that interview will be shared at the end of my new video, whenever I get it out the door. 

I'm so proud to announce that both "Melancholy" and "Bravado" are Semi-Finalists in the 15th annual International ARC Salon. Winners will be announced in January 2021. 

It turns out that life in general is a lot like learning how to oil paint. They are both complex and require a long game mentality. I often drone on to my students to imagine a huge banquet hall, filled with the most amazing feast. I try to help them understand that no human being can walk into that room and swallow the whole feast with one bite and therefore automatically become a master at oil painting or a master at all the aspects of their own life. Each of us has to approach the table, make a plate and sit down and eat it bite by bite. When we’re hungry again, we go back to the table and eat the next course. You might think you can just skip the cheese cubes and grapes and go straight to the lobster or desert, but I’ve found people don’t fully appreciate or receive the full value of the later courses until they’ve really understood the early lessons. And it is easy to get jealous when you see someone else enjoying a steak when you’re having a salad, or just a crouton and a glass of water. And you may get frustrated if you have to go back to the salad bar over and over again until you finally get the lesson. Here’s a hint: in life and oil painting, it’s always about values, values, values.  

But the faster we acknowledge where we actually are in the course of our life or art journey the sooner we can start taking steps towards our next level of mastery. And remember that the pandemic has sent each and every one of us back to our seats, to not only think long and hard about what we should do next, but also to remind us of the most fundamental lessons, of gratitude and kindness, and therefore to drink in the things and people that truly matter; love, family, connection and personal growth. 

I know this year has been devastating for far too many and for some more than others. There are hundreds of thousands in fact, millions who’s life or business will not recover from the ravages of the past months and still others who’s plates are truly empty. My hope is for all of you to have the comforts you need and to be able to hold close those you love with thanks, and to — through your art or your love of art — help create an atmosphere of peace and beauty in the much welcomed new year.