Just about to head back from the Carmel Art Festival and it’s been quite the long week. Got here with my friend and fellow painter Don Sondag a week ago. We decided to come out early because there was a rice break in the airfare and to have an extra couple of days to paint out here. From Saturday till the event began on Thursday we did 3 paintings a day, I scraped a few to conserve the canvas. I figured by the time the event started we would be all warmed up but instead I was already whipped having battled 30 mile an hour winds and the wrong choice in canvas for 5 days.
When the event began I had already gone through the spin cycle a bunch and was somewhere between utter despair and getting a job at House of Pancakes. Now don’t get me wrong the scenery here is unbeleivably inspirin, I just felt unworthy of it. Head games. Got skunked in sales and awards. The upside was I got to paint with all my favorite people; John Burton, Don Sondag, Randy Sexton and Jesse Powell. I got a lot of good memories, a few good studies, a few uglies and a case of the bad attitudes oh and a racked up credit card bill but it was all worthwhile. That coastline is spectacular.
Larry:
It was a fine pleasure to meet you and Don, as your reputation preceded you . . . in a good way. (Ha!) Been skunked at a few shows myself and you’re a pro. You know it can always happen, and if it does, it often has nothing to do with the work.
So let’s get together again at another event and push some more paint around. Or perhaps let’s organize an expedition where there ain’t nothing to do but paint ‘n’ sit around a campfire after it gets dark.
Thomas
http://www.thomaskitts.com
http://www.thomaskitts.blogspot.com
Great painting with you too Thomas. Great paintings from you… hands down winner. We’ll paint again.
Don’t know why you got skunked for awards. All of these are sweet paintings. Any that you think are destined for the garbage, I will be glad to take off your hands!
Awww thanks Justin. All of the smaller ones were done before the event. I’ll put up the ones I entered later.
Justin
That raises a really interesting thought to consider. Trash it or give it away… Something to write about.
Larry, I have had the same thought about the subject and agree.
Someday I’d like to do a post on why an artist might keep some paintings and toss others. Personally, I have a pile waiting to go to the dump and thought I’d take a blog shot after I toss it onto the pile. Preferably with a bulldozer coming up on it…
For the purposes of drama, of course. (Ha!)
Thomas
http://www.thomaskitts.com
http://www.thomaskitts.blogspot.com
Hi, Larry.
All who know you and follow your work and adventures would wish that you never had a down day.
Having said that, I want to thank you for always sharing the “the bad and the ugly” as well as “the good.” Those of us who don’t have the years of experience, the steady hand, the discerning eye, or the talent (whatever definition you want to assign to that last word) can often get pretty down on ourselves. Knowing that an artist of your level occasionally has a bad day somehow helps get over our down days and get back into the journey.
Your sharing the times when things didn’t go as planned is a valuable lesson in more ways than one.
Finally, I’ve got to say that those small, pre-event paintings you posted are truly beautiful. Knowing you as I do, my advice for the other guys and gals who will be participating in your next plein air event would be to bring their very best game and put a couple of horseshoes in their packs.
best, John
Thankyou John. You words are very encouraging and greatly appreciated. I want everyone to know that whatever level we are at, it is always a struggle and never easy. The competition aspect as well as the profitability considerations of these kinds of events make it even harder.
Sent from my iPhone