Daily Practice - Rainier Cherries

Another reoccurring theme in my life - cherries! These are the first of the year and they are delicious! Not to mention they make a fabulous still life. I started over on the left hand side and worked around to the right. If you look at the first and second cherries and then the next three, you see some color changes going on. I was experimenting with which pigments gave me the best representation of Rainier cherry colors. The first two cherries are also a bit muddy as I was a bit rusty. Why do I tell you this?

Something that I didn't mention in yesterday's post is that after years of trying to "go for it," I finally realized somewhere in the last few years that sometimes I'm better off NOT going for it. What do I mean? I mean I need to practice first.

Before becoming ill, I was putting in some serious time on a competition painting, and I was painting everyday. Painting is like any other skill - it requires practice, preferably daily practice - to keep that skill in top form. To get comfortable with the feel of the brush, the amount of water to pigment ratio, brush strokes, etc. After losing a week I knew it would be crazy-making to try and jump back into a painting with no practice. The feather from yesterday and these cherries are my warm-up, practice sessions. I'll be doing a few more too as I'm not yet ready to tackle the competition piece.

I cannot count the times I've "forgotten how to paint" because I went for long stretches without picking up a brush. The mechanics are there, but boy, are they rusty! Sanity has finally prevailed and I've learned to temper my excitement and put in some "brush time" before jumping back into a painting. I encourage you to do the same if you're not all ready. Save yourself some frustration, time, tears, and possibly, a ruined painting.