Human Development was one of my prerequisite classes for entrance into Nursing School, in which they try to teach you all the predictable stages that all humans must progress through if we actually ever as we mature. As a mother of 6, I threw out my college book about a month into our first baby.
My painting projects develop in more a predictable way than my children ever have. It turns out that all paintings must pass through these stages. There is no optional short cut. Believe me, I have tried to find one!
Pre-Project
-While minding own business, see something beautiful or an idea, feeling, quote, Scripture, or something I love. I’m going to change the world with my amazing ideas.
-Go through feelings of excitement and euphoria:
This is going to be the best painting ever, in the history of the Universe!!!!!!!!!!!
Mid-project
-Face the daunting tasks of design, drawing, color scheme, composition. You know, the stuff they call “The Fundamentals,” which I still can’t seem to nail down.
-And, of course, painting
-Have trouble with the color scheme or mixing the right color or the awkward-looking animal or the size of the tree.
-The painting is ugly. Really, truly ugly.
-Go through feelings of despair right in the middle of the painting, when it’s too far to turn back now:
This is the worst painting ever, in the history of the Universe!
I’m gonna just paint right over this!!
I guess I’ll just keep going. But it is not going well at all….
Hey, it’s not what I wanted, but it could work!
In fact, it is completely different from my original plan.
This cat looks like a locomotive instead of a cat. But I can work with that…
Hey, I sort of (SORT OF) like it!
Post-Project
-Sign project. Mess up signature. But this is acrylic paint, so a little water, and….erased. Try again. Three times. Ok, that’ll have to do.
-But is it done? When am I done?
I wanted a cat instead of a locomotive. Maybe I can draw a cat riding on top of the train. Ooops. That looks like a liver. That’s ok. It can be a train that transports livers. On top of it. I’m cool with that. Here, I’ll put a set of lungs next to the liver so it is obvious that this is an Organ Transport Locomotive.
Ok. It’s fine. It’ll be fine. I’ll just explain to everyone that I had a problem with that part. I’m just a hack, after all.
-But is it done? When is it done? How about some more shading here and hightlighting there?
Oh, oops. I just made the lungs and liver look like a cat. Cool. That works. I meant to do that. I’m such an Artist!
There. It’s done. And it isn’t half bad.
-I’ll just leave it here to dry. (Maybe husband or kids will accidentally see it.)
Hey, I made a Thing!!!
Hey, I want to show this to my mom!!
Hey, I want to show this to somebody else!
Oh, but it’s not that good. In fact, it’s terrible.
There’s a flaw here. And there. It’s not very artistic. It looks like an amateur did it.
It’s not perfect. At all. But it’s My Thing. I made it.
And I love it. And I also hate it.