With any hobby, talent only comes through hard work and practice. It was for that reason that my pastime of painting took a hiatus, as did my writing, because I could not produce from either endeavor anything of value in my eyes. Any compliments from friends become mere polite encouragements, almost like one would compliment a child for some piss-poor drawing by sticking it to the fridge, or so my self esteem would interpret praise.
My paintings were never good enough to me, and the desired masterpieces I could so vividly visualize in my head did not translate well onto canvas.
So I’m starting all over with the basics, and one thing holding me back is my inability to draw still life. Even my stick figures were not discernibly stick figures. So I borrowed a head and figure drawing how-to book from my girlfriend and worked with some of the tools she gifted me a Christmas or two ago. I’ve managed to take the easy instructions and beautiful faces from the aforementioned book and turn them into eyewitness sketches of the offspring of grey aliens and a typical 3AM Walmart shopper. Portraits might be a bit away, but I’ll get there. The one skill I don’t think will take me long at all to get a handle on is my use of color. My paintings in the past were of an abstract nature and I had a love for making pretty messes. Now I want to focus on making a visually pleasing flow of colors worthy enough to bring someone joy when gazing on one of my pieces in their home. Turning one's nose up and boasting of owning a “Len Duran” has just the right amount of pompous air to it.
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