Art for the Sake of Art

I have done very little writing lately because I have been busy painting my passion that is left after I spend the day with my children. Now that I am almost recovered from pneumonia, I seem to have a lot more energy for both.

Ian is extremely interested in what I am doing. He is probably my biggest fan. He has been wanting me to paint his portrait for several weeks now, as he has noticed that my true talent seems to lie in capturing the emotion in faces. So over the weekend I found one of my favorite photos of Ian and began to paint his beautiful face as it was at the age of three.


He was so excited about having his face painted that he begged to paint mine. So, with real watercolor paper and professional paints and brushes, Ian created my image.


Nothing that he has created has ever meant as much to me as this. He carefully selected each color to impart the truest image, made each eyelash with unparalleled precision, and delicately crafted those succulent red lips. And when he was finished, Noah could have floated the Ark in the lake of brown that has become my hair. Now THAT'S a passion for art!

In a way, he inspires every thing I paint. . .and makes me chuckle every time I think about his soggy - yet ever so lovely - version of me.

Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
US author & satirist (1842 - 1914)

This week I am donating one of my pieces to a charity auction as well as entering several paintings in local art shows. These will be the first opportunities for people outside my close circle of friends, family, and fellow painters to see my work and comment upon it. I thought I would be more nervous about it. Most people don't like to extend an open invitation for criticism, much less make themselves available to be publicly thrashed by strangers.

But why should I worry? It is still just one person's opinion about some colors on a piece of paper. The opinion that matters most is mine, and my biggest fan has already made me feel like everything I do is dazzling. The thing that worries me most is the possibility that I could actually win; and as I walk to the front of a room full of people much more talented than I am, my only hope is that there is not a toilet paper trail stuck to the bottom of my shoe.