“Here is a truth: often a painting is done just so the artist can get to do a small favorite thing, or idea. Entire paintings are done just to get to put highlights on a glass, or shadows on a lemon or sunbursts in the distance. Whole landscapes are painted just to show a small flower in the foreground, or a water drop about to fall from a rose petal. A moment of inspiration to render an idea, so simple a truth that it cannot be rendered simply, but surrounded by complexity of seeing our world, lest the idea be lost. When done, often the original intention of the painting goes unperceived to the casual viewer, but it is there.” Eight Decades blogging on StoryDoors
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 
Lovely view from Villa 10 Anna … holiday ?
Nice link … reading someone else’s words like that is very heartening and puts what ever we attempt to make create paint ..into a perspective i understand but could never explain so well Lol
Yes, holiday. Villa 10 is a beautiful old house in Nelson. That’s a view from the lounge.
Glad you like the link. I like the part about a simple idea that can’t be rendered simply — it’s good to know that it’s not just me ; )
I find it a strange situation these days, when I started, I painted my “favourite” things, even if they were “strange” subjects to other people. They made me happy and motivated. Over time, I moved to subjects people wanted or expected, now I strive to go back to that early approach, painting something on a whim or, like the excerpt says, building a whole painting around a small, favourite fragment. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say ! 🙂 but I found this post very inspirational Anna, Thankyou 🙂
I’m so glad it has inspired you, Victoria. I love your watercolours — the quirkier, the better!
I started to fall into the trap (because I think it IS a trap) of painting what I thought other people might like… but I quickly realised that was the wrong way of thinking about art (for me, anyway). If I’m not painting what I want to paint, I’d rather not paint anything at all. Of course I still hope people will like what I do… but it’s not my motivation — unless, of course, it’s a commission : )
Hi Anna, yes I think you’re right, it is a trap 🙂 Also, sometimes commissions can suck you in – people say to me, “just paint it as you would” carte blanche ! then things creep in… can you just do this, add that…and it becomes a subject I would never have wanted to paint. I will think more of avoiding traps and regaining my freedom 🙂 thankyou for liking my waterclours ! x
Painting…
Reflection, or refraction ?
Reality or are they like a rainbow?
Real and visible but never caught.
Nothing solid,
to say they were ever real ,
but visible like a memory.
Mirror or prism
or never-ending echo:
the paint is painted.
I follow StoryDoors and on a couple of occasions have tried to leave a comment when I have really liked something but there seems to be a problem with the site re comments (however I have an old and cranky PC which might be the problem but I don’t have problems with other sites apart from the bit that sometimes says ‘read and type this word if you are not a computer’ and I can’t work out what the letters are!) I really like your sketch at the top of the Post.
KnitNell, I don’t think you can blame your old PC for everything that goes wrong on WordPress — sometimes it’s an error on someone else’s part (as was the case the other day with my missing image)… and different ‘themes’ seem to have different issues too, as may be the case with StoryDoors. Just a thought.
I’m glad you like my sketch. It’s a bit of a favourite of mine because it’s one of the first drawings I did that made me think ‘hey, that’s not bad’. AND it was a great holiday : )
Beautiful Anna