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We’re always in the middle, never at the end

Artists learn that they can paint, or maybe, like in my case, they never put down the paints and crayons from when first picked up as a small child. Then the first urges to create, to copy, to capture, to make art starts and it doesn’t go away that urge.

The art changes. The ability to create, the technical abilities and expertise that are learnt by practice, practice, practice. The excitement of capturing that image grows with our abilities and talents. Talents that are honed over hours and hours, weeks, years, decades.

When other people notice the art, and make comments, it gives the art more credence, more importance somehow.

And if the artist decides to sell that art to other people, and they pay for that talent, it makes it even more exciting as an artist. Someone values it to pay for it, to want to own it for themselves.

Some artists get to that point early on in their careers and know what it is that they want to paint, and what sells well to their buyers. They might then spend the rest of their working life never changing that niche, always happy with that place that they have made and the art they create.

Other artists are always striving to improve, to push themselves and their boundaries. They want to try new ideas, and are never happy with what they have made, knowing that they can do better next time. And the time after that, and the time after that.

But I think that whatever sort of artist we are, we are always wanting to make something better than last time, to keep creating and improving, and finding new ideas and putting them down in a painting. Even the artists who make it to the big time this week, weren’t happy with their art six months ago.

And that’s the thing about being an artist, we are never at the end, we are always in the middle of our creative process. Always striving to be better, to want more. But then, the more we do, the better we become, surely?

The case in point being these two paintings of mine, the one on the left is “Nightmares” and is in watercolour. The painting on the right is in acrylics on canvas and is called “Going for gold”. They are both very similar in subject matter, three horses racing each other against the wind. There is movement and colour and power in the horses and the paintings.

And twelve years between them in their creation. But which do you prefer…..?

Nightmares

Going for gold new

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