Monday, January 8, 2007

The First Time


Today, while photographing my “studio” for my Flickr photo pages, I came across the first real painting that I’d ever done. Now, I say real only because of the medium and not because of some intrinsically valuable attribute of the piece – this truly was the first time I used a brush for something other than my teeth or hair. For years, I’d spent time drawing and sketching, crafting and creating, but had never really made the leap to paint. But there it was, at the bottom of a giant wooden drawer, hiding underneath years of drawings and miscellaneous pieces of my life. I pulled it out and decided to upload a shot of this page from my past. I look at it now and realize how depressed I must have been when I chose the palette and began the composition. This simple piece of canvas board not only provided me with a new experience that would transform my future goals as an artist, but it also allowed me to relieve myself of the melancholy I was experiencing. Almost fifteen years later and I can still see the girl who stood in front of an easel bought at a yard sale, taking her first steps toward recognition. There are those out there in the world who devalue the importance of art and its vital role in the lives of both those who execute it and those who relate to it. For me, this one little twenty-four inch painting was more therapeutic and educational than anything previous. Personal growth benefits more than the person growing and the rewards are universal.

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