My Artistic Journey
(Part 1)

When I was first introduced to the icons of art history's biggest stars, it soon began clear, that in comparison to everyday people they were different. Not just a little bit odd but quite different! Somehow the stories told about them, made them to seem much bigger than life… certainly bigger than my life and bigger than almost anybody else I had ever met.

Of course by the time I was meeting up with these curious characters, I had already been painting for 47 or 48 years. Yes, I had heard many of the names before, but I'd never had that much interest to go beyond that, and up to that time I painted because it was what I liked to do.

Painting was a special quiet time alone.

I liked quiet time. I was not a party animal. I hadn't been issued my social butterfly wings yet, I was still just a caterpillar. So interests that involved quietly being alone, were attractive to me, and so, I liked the quietude of painting.

But by the time I reached 57, I was changing… yes, a little bit socially, but at this time, my mind was more and more realizing, it needs to consider, that someday I might just retire. Then what?

I began to ask myself, "What would I like to be doing then?"

When I was a kid, my mom would say, "If you try hard enough, you can be anything you set your mind to! (I'm hoping yours did the same? - although today, I'm not sure it's all just that simple…) Anyway, there were two interests that were at the top of my list; playing the piano and oil painting.

I loved the piano so much (and I still do) but instead I chose painting. That was probably the better choice for me, since today, 15 years later, I am now quite deaf. Almost hopelessly so without my hearing aids… and besides, my piano is in pretty bad shape.

So painting it was.

Oil painting had been my medium for 50 years and by then I was an OK painter - nothing special, but reasonably OK. –> Well, but really, it was all pretty bad. Except for a couple of the paintings, it wasnt good. I hoped my work could become a lot better.

Soon, after my choice, I began experimenting with abstract art. Those first efforts weren't great… but that didn't keep me from trying again, and then again!

But now, let me get back to my curiosity with famous artists who loved their art and put so much time and energy into their craft. I mentioned them at the beginning of this blog.