This past Saturday was the Oil Painters of America's National Paint Out in 
This is the painting I did during the Paint Out. Other painters were scattered up and down the small path, painting away. I'm so thankful to Denny for hooking me up with an attachment for my umbrella, I used it the whole time.Why does fear always get in the way of things? We're all the same when it comes to learning something new. I remember one of the first painting classes I had, I was so nervous. Was my painting going to look as good as the person’s next to me? Erasing, scraping away a stroke I just put down, afraid someone might see my terrible mistake before it was too late.
Fear paralyzes us. It keeps us from becoming who we're meant to be, but what do we have to be afraid of? The classroom/studio is our laboratory; we’re allowed to make mistakes. You have to be able to let it go, that your painting might not be as good as those next to you that your portrait doesn’t quite look like a person. You have to let these things go so you can learn. Allow yourself to make mistakes; it’s the only way you’ll grow. No one is perfect. Don’t put that kind of stress on yourself, As Scott Tallman would say "No Worries". Imagine what we’re all capable of if we just didn’t care what other people thought. A lesson I need to remind myself of all the time.
This is a painting I did on Sunday. The last day of the painting retreat up in Wisconsin. I'll post more picture soon.
