We just got a new puppy! Her name is Lyla, and she is a short-legged Jack Russell. She is eight weeks old and believe it or not (I am afraid to say this out loud) she is already house trained thanks to the breeders. We are thrilled because now we can enjoy all the fun things about her without the not so fun things bogging us down.
This led me to realize that sometimes as I create fresh art I get bogged down with all the not so pleasant tasks which take away from my inspiration. If you are like me you just want to paint something that inspires but you don’t want to take the time to practice it first in your mixed media pad. (https://www.hobbylobby.com/search/?text=mixed+media+pads). When I don’t do a trial run first but start my painting on the expensive canvas, I am often sorry. As I get into the painting, I realize that by not creating a practice piece in my mixed media pad I have issues. Perhaps my colors aren’t mixed properly, or my subject was not laid out on the canvas with the right balance which leads to an outcome that doesn’t please me.
You see in art, unlike with puppies, we cannot have someone else do our unpleasant tasks. We must practice ourselves. I do not like to practice, although practice really does make perfect. When I practice before creating fresh art, I realize my weaknesses or wrong assumptions and I can work to improve them.
So not only has Lyla, our new puppy, made me think about the mundane tasks that must be done to accomplish a great finished product, but she inspires me to fresh art! I realize as she just stops mid-step and stares at a bird, or a bug, or hears the leaves rustling in the wind that this is the first time she has ever seen or heard those things. That is the way I need to look at everything around me each day. As though it were brand new. God has surrounded us with such beauty every day. Every day we get a fresh dose of new colors in the sky (no two blues are ever the same) or new values in the foliage (I see so many shades of green). If we take the time to look for it.
May this beautiful little puppy inspire you today to see your surroundings fresh and new. And may you take the time to practice and create fresh art, whether it is drawing, painting, or mixed media. I realize that practice is time well spent. It shows in my final paintings and it makes me happy!