New”Autumn Trees” 8×10 oil on board avail for purchase

Austin, creator of my favoured ‘Birthday Candles’ painting
is becoming a frustrated Artist, his Mom confessed.
You may remember my friend Austin from a previous post, here.
Austin isn’t alone in his frustration.
These days my mailbox is filled with similar complaints, from professionals, hobbyists and Artist hopefuls.
Complaints are typically followed by
“You wouldn’t understand. (Yes I do.)
“You have natural talent” (it isn’t a secret how I feel about that word, and No).
“It probably came easy to you even as a child.”
Noooooo.
I have proof.

If that didn’t convince you, this will.
We had a babysitter who loved to draw horses.
I would sneak out of bed to see her drawing, only to be scooted back before I could watch her process.
How did she do it? I tried and tried.

Horses were a favourite subject of mine, among people, landscapes, animals and my dog.

earliest record of my art ~ a card for my parents.

I shouldn’t show these publicly.
Besides making point, they’re funny.
I wasn’t a born artist, but I was tenacious.

By Grade 12, I could draw a decent horse.

coloured charcoal- horse

I taught myself looking at picture books and horses, making a ton of mistakes.
By high school, I had shown improvement on the other subjects too.

I didn’t have art in school until Grade 11.
The Grade 11 art teacher told me “Never study. They could ruin you. You’re a natural talent”.
She had no idea I had been working on it for over a decade.

New 12×16 “Sunfire” oil on canvas

I assured Austin’s Mom frustration is a good sign.
It means he wants to improve. Austin has great passion for creating.
We all have the fever of frustration, it’s a myth professional artists are immune.
The key is, don’t give up.

My friend Dayna of the Pottery Cupboard says
“I have spent 12 years in the studio, every day. The first five were spent crying”.

In an instant gratification society often we underestimate the work & time involved to excel.
The craft is honoured when we recognize the dedication necessary to become a master.
~
Note. Along with the talent myth, another fable exists: once an Artist is accomplished, art is an easy road from thereon.
It’s never easy.
Like athletes we have to practice. Muscle memory applies to Artists, too. We need to use and improve all our skills or we lose them.
Art is a lifelong learning process, of which I am a joyful student.
~
p.s Austin’s painted birdhouse is a treasure in my studio. He began by painting the inside- for the birds of course. When his Mom encouraged him to paint the outside, he added ‘snow’. Both signs of a great artist indeed.