See, power outages can be a good thing. I had received this commission to paint a pencil portrait of Moggie in a 4″ wide by 10″ high size a couple of weeks ago. Peeling myself away from the online part of making my living can be pretty tough, and honestly? I have a confession to make. I procrastinate. For good reason, I think (sometimes).
I haven’t drawn a drawing since High School.
Seriously, a true graphite pencil start to finish full drawing in its final form this is IT piece of artwork – it’s been about 18 years. You’d think that since I’m an artist for a living, I would produce more graphite drawings. I’ve worked in colored pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic, even india inks – but it’s rare that someone asks a graphite of me. I always attributed that to not having any in my portfolio, I guess.
Once in a while though, I get a client who asks “can you do this?….” and of course I never decline. I will, however, procrastinate at least a little out of sheer fear that I’m totally inept and unable to create something with a certain medium on a certain ground.
I know, it’s crazy. I should know by know that this fear of mine is all in my head. This God given gift just flows through my hands out onto whatever is in front of me with whatever tool I have in my hand. I am so humbled by that. I finished Moggie lastnight (well, almost – she is in proofing stage and still needs whiskers and her tag wording, and then of course my signature) and when I took my hand away from the pad I thought “Woah. Well. There she is.” And when you finish something and see it through your own eyes but know it happened not because of anything you learned in school or taught yourself, it’s a sort of euphoria that you can’t feel from anything else.
It’s when you crave that euphoria that you find yourself doing what you’re meant to do more often, and feeling a sense of peace and calm in your life that you can’t attain any other way.
This is what dreams are made of, and this is how you live them.
Get in the Christmas Spirit!
Now Playing : God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
[audio:godrestyemerrygentlemen.mp3]
Today is the day – my mom is going in for Open Heart Surgery at 7:30AM CST. I will update again later today/tonight when I get a chance to let everyone know how things went.
