I’m told it happens to every artist – the dreaded block. Painters block, artist bock, writers block. Perhaps it even takes different forms. A couple of weeks ago, I had my one year painting anniversary. One year!! Its official! I’m a painter! I immediately became convinced I couldn’t paint. Every painting I did, I hated. The unfinished works piled up. I thought “I’ll paint the same thing over and over again – thats what disciplined artists do.” So then, I ended up with multiple bad copies of the same image. Argh!! What to do?
Well, I’m still there, looking for my muse. My latest ploy is to try pastels. My reasoning is that I can work on several of the same things I want to improve in my paintings, in the pastels. Plus, they are gorgeous. And I’m drawing more. Lots more.
I’m convinced that I will come out of this a better painter. More disciplined, hardier, and just better. In the meantime though, look for me, trudging through the artists night, looking for the light on the horizon.