Star Whisperer

"Star Whisperer" - mixed media on cradled hardwood, 12" x 12". Ready to hang.  Available on Artfinder.

To paint is to love again, live again, see again. To get up at the crack of dawn in order to take a peek at the water colors one did the day before, or even a few hours before, is like stealing a look at the beloved while she sleeps. The thrill is even greater if one has first to draw back the curtains. How they glow in the cold light of early dawn! … Is there any writer who rouses himself at daybreak in order to read the pages of his manuscript? Perish the thought!   - Henry Miller

Another artist introduced me to this book by Henry Miller, To Paint is to Love Again, and the article in the link.  Sigh.  I connected with his words immediately. 

I'm a self-taught artist.  While on the one hand, this makes me fiercely dedicated and determined, on the other hand it leaves me without a real root in art history.  So I had no idea Henry Miller painted, or that he wrote a book about art.    

But this quote...it is exactly what I do.  I sneak up on whatever I painted the day before to see if it changed overnight.  Most times, it has.  Now I realize this is just my view of the piece changing with a little time and distance, but it is such an eye opener that it feels rife with magic.  Some mornings I cannot wait to turn on the studio lights before even making my coffee, just to catch a glimpse of a painting caught unawares.  

This month, I am focused on "failed" paintings...those pieces piled up in the corner or under boxes because they just didn't sing.  This little sweetheart was one of those.  She sat for months in the corner, looking sad and awkward, finished but not right.  It's kind of funny, because I paint versions of this piece often, so you'd think I always get it right.  But no, these characters have minds of their own, and this one was crazy stubborn.  Until she wasn't.   I am so delighted she decided to sweeten up and embrace the paint.  I will be stealing looks at this one for awhile.:)