At Ellem’s request, I am posting a picture of my final painting from my beginning watercolor class. Recognize the image?
(Not like a person who does impressions. lol)
No. What I mean is a visual simplifier, like the impressionists who were accused of not finishing their paintings. At least that’s what my watercolor teacher told me last week, after he had us paint what to me seemed a pretty detailed colored landscape in under two hours.
Tonight I have my final in the class; we will have 2 1/2 hours to complete both a black and white painting and one in color. In the weeks leading up to the final, our most challenging assignment was finding “paintable subjects”. When I showed him a photo of one of my daughters that I really wanted to paint, he took one look at it and said “no way!”
Well, this week I painted it anyway. In sepia. In one hour. And if you lay it on the table and look at it upside down from 5 feet away, it is clear who is pictured!
Anyway, while this painting scenario had a good outcome, another left me rather frustrated. Let’s just say that Saturday was a long day of set painting where no matter what two colors I mixed together, the result was purple. Then I got home and watched an old movie where the sets were so hokey they could scarcely even be called impressionistic! Why is it necessary for us to work our tails off on so many overwhelming details, when professionals can just paint a styrofoam cone green and call it a tree?
Which is the same kind of frustration I get when told I must wear lipstick or accessories. Or when I think I should do more fun “extras” in the children’s program I administrate. I really just want the basics. Just the basics, done right.
Now, more than ever, I’m convinced this is a matter of being either a big-picture (global) thinker or a detail (analytical) person. Or maybe it’s right brain/left brain. I’m left brain global. Which are you?
I definitely like simple clothes (that’s one reason I like this blog). There are certain objects (a rust-colored beanie, a silver necklace) that I can and do wear with everything, but I don’t think this is “accessorizing” in the usual sense. I rarely wear one because it “completes” an outfit. I wear it because I like it and it doesn’t happen to clash with my clothes.
I think that this is why I like to wear solid or mottled colors instead of prints. The prints that I do like tend to be plaids with colors close in value, or floral patterns that give the same effect.
I’m both a “big picture” person AND also like to focus on the details — but I decide the details I spend time on and merrily ignore what I don’t care about . . .
Really, it’s quite a marvelous skill to cultivate, it means I get to do what makes me happy and if feathers are ruffled it doesn;t concern me too much. I wear the same colours ALL the time and I love it, and just fuss over hair accessories and a few pieces of jewelry . . . we aren’t put on this earth to satisfy the whims of fashionista wannabes, if you like what you see in the mirror then work it!
ps all subjects are paintable, I’d love to see your finished work –
Hmmm, I think I know what you mean. I love accessories and lipstick, but I’m not really detail oriented in general. In my homeschooling, I’m not the kind of mom who buys every curriculum, manipulative, and kit available…I try to find what works for a particular child and stick with it. I don’t like complicated technology. I want it to be straightforward and not take more time to figure out than the time I’ll spend using it. (Sorry, grammar butchery there.) When I make a large-ish purchase, I research extensively, but once I’ve made up my mind, that’s it. I’m rarely disappointed, because I figure out the basic goals I have for this particular item, and as long as it meets those criteria, I’m not regretful because it lacks some minor detail. So I guess “global” would describe me. I have to really work to get into details and I find them emotionally exhausting.