Courage!

Since I know (or I hope!) that a number of my fellow artists will be coming this way for the next couple of weeks, I decided to share this little story.

I made this painting a while ago, very unintentional, I was actually cleaning my brushes during a class and I didn't want to throw any paint away, I hate throwing precious paint away! So, I cleaned by brushes and used the remaining paint on a clean canvas sheet. I remember my instructor coming by and making a face.....and I had to tell him I was just cleaning my brushes.

I took it home and I liked it, so I put an inexpensive frame around it and hung it in my little 'gallery'.

Fast forward two years, and I was 'voyeuring' as usual, and this is what I found! Coco & Hearts! Here were paintings similar to mine for sale and virtually flying off her 'virtual' shelves. I really love her art and the colors are so refreshing!

Her bigger ones below are equally refreshing and beautiful. I'm so inspired!

So, as I said, this is about courage! Courage to put our work out there with confidence! And I wish I could take my own advice and I hope by posting this, I'm declaring to the Universe that I'm ready to be courageous.

It reminds me of what my first water color instructor said on our last day of class...."People go to galleries all the time and criticize art and say things like, 'my three year old could have painted this!!!!'....and maybe that's true. But that's not what it's all about. It's about us as artists believing in our work and having the courage to put it out there, for people to love, to hate, to criticize and to buy"

So, step by step, I am learning to be more courageous....I hope you are too!

Have a lovely weekend!