BEING YOU!

You have to be you!  In art, it's a must as it is in life.  That is one thing I have learned from my brother, Ron, especially when it comes to my artwork. As much as I want to be able to paint like my brother painted....I'm not him. He always told me when we had some art classes at the local Jr. College....to not try to copy or be like someone else. I needed to find my niche and go with it. If I tried to be like someone else, then it wasn't my artistic vibe coming out.

Look at this painting he had started. My SIL....found it going through some things. I do remember him showing it to me many years ago and getting my thoughts about it. It floored me, as it still floors me today when I look at the tiny details he was adding.  She brought it over at Christmas to give to me and say...."Finish it." As you can see, he never finished it. I am thinking to myself, there was something he wasn't happy about it and he probably just pushed it off to work on later at some time. Maybe a detail he couldn't get and he didn't like on it. You can see the metal part of the coffee grinder is not finished, maybe he wasn't sure of the look on it? I don't know, but something caused him to stop on it.

My Brother as an artist or actually anything he did, he was precise, detailed to the tiniest thing. Paintings, pottery, photography, cooking and even building a whole train town with hand made buildings, bricks and trees. He always was so detailed in what he did. So with painting he did his paintings in layers. A washed out effect and then built each layer. I kick myself now for not taking the time to sit and watch him or see how he did his paintings. I can't do that now....he's gone.

As I keep painting, I at times want so bad to have my paintings look like his....I can try, but I am not him. My style is different, it's mine and not his style. Mine will look different than another artist too, they have a niche and a style all their own. That is what an artist is....the very being that comes from within....it's not like someone else. We are all different and can't be another person.

I am very afraid of trying to finish this painting, however, my kids told me...."Finish it Mom....then it will be a painting that you and Ron did together." Now that gave a boost of confidence as I know it will not be his style but it will be our style together and I can feel good about that when I do begin to work on it. I will be me and I will not get upset that I can't paint like my brother Ron, or any other artist. I will stay focused and as I paint each painting I make, I hear my brother's last advice to me before he passed away, "Promise me you will keep making those beautiful paintings." I'm sure trying.