I Want To Paint

Paintings, you know. Not like the house. Although it could use it. Desperately. Every room. Every wall.

But, I was really thinking about painting pictures. I think it's fascinating that someone can have an idea of something--something that may not even exist anywhere other than in their head--and then put that representation down on the canvas. And other people can look at it and see just exactly what the artist was thinking about. That's really cool.

I'm not artistic like that, by the way. My drawings (I do about one a week for the cafe sign at our store) are nothing spectacular, believe me. I get happy when people can recognize what I've drawn.

I do like to talk to artists about the creative process, whenever I get a chance. I like to hear about the inspiration and the method of portraying whatever emotion they are trying to portray. I like to hear what they think of when they look at their art. And I think they like to hear what other people think, too. (At least I hope they do. Otherwise, I may have gotten very tedious with some artists I've met!)

I wonder though, if they ever get tired of hearing people say they like their work? Would they be displaying their work if they didn't want people to say they liked it? I wonder about that.

Like the music stars who won't play their signature songs because they have played them so much. Or actors who don't want to be identified with characters they've played. Do artists feel like that? ("Yes, it's a lovely painting, but I've done ten others since then.")

I have to think that they don't think that way. I think, at least the ones I've talked to, are pleased that people look at these pieces of themselves and find them interesting, or beautiful, or thoughtful, or exciting, or whatever.

Hm. I'm going to ask some artists at Gencon this summer. Stay tuned.