THE INDUSTRY OF ‘MIND’
January 8, 2008
I’d like to begin 2008 by cleaning up still another ‘typo’…. well not exactly. It is what happens when one relies too much on spell check. In my last article I was saying that successful artist’s asses their paintings continually… and the spelling ‘assess’ somehow slipped past all the proof readers… okay, Jim (Susan did not get to proof read this one). I received some cute notes from a few of you, but I hope I didn’t offend anyone. It was an innocent mistake. Now, on to a new year….
Sir Joshua Reynold’s DISCOURSES ON ART covers an interesting variety of subjects regarding art. Some feel outdated while others are as true today as they have ever been. One comment of his brought to mind a comment made by Virginia Cobb. Reynolds says, ‘I wish you to be persuaded, that success in your art depends almost entirely on your own industry: but the industry which I principally recommend is not the industry of the hands, but of the mind.”
One way to get a ‘mind’ fully engaged also helps clean up loose ends… which is coincidently one of my New Year’s resolutions. That is to FINISH MY PAINTINGS! I have a stack of less than satisfactory attempts where frustration got the upper hand. I quit before resolving the problem that drove me away.
As Virginia Cobb would say; use those going-no-where paintings as a learning opportunity. Put MIND to work. Think of your options or try something completely new. Learn what works and what does not by TRYING IT. Either way, you come out ahead. Either you’ve improved the painting and learned something or tried something new and learned that it doesn’t work. You are now able to toss out the painting, making room for a new effort. In any case, it’s a win-win!
Virginia goes on to say, “Why is it only in watercolor that there is so much pressure to have every painting be successful? Where does learning take place if not in the trying of something new? If you never take risks, how do you find out what the possibilities are?”
~ Lynn