No one is going to die from this painting. I mean, they may really hate it. They may find fault with the composition, they might think it is uptight or too dark, or not enough contrast, or too busy. I have have even thought that the flowers look like kidneys, but you won't die. It is a painting.
I have also been told it has great movement, and is whimsical, and full of emotion. This is one of those paintings that is very bright and lively when well-lit, but looks dark in a shadow. It's a moody little painting, but it won't kill you.
The reason I bring up death, is that I have talked to painters who are less experienced, and to painters who are more experienced, than myself, and have made a general observation about painting. When you first start, it feels like it will kill you. Newer artists are all concerned with "the rules." I swear, I am still living in fear of them, and discover new rules to challenge every day. Newer artists are always wondering when they have crossed over some threshold and become a "real artist." When you first start, it feels like everyone is looking, laughing, judging, and if you paint crap, you will have wasted time, paint, and self-esteem. Sometimes it felt like I was going to die. But I didn't. It doesn't matter. Those really early paintings are destroyed or tucked away in the back of closets. No one said, "Look at that. She thinks she can paint. Tsk. She's so deluded. Who does she think she is. The nerve." And if they did, it never reached me, and I survived it.
I wish I could go back 16 years, when I decided I wanted art on my walls, but couldn't afford it. I wish I could say, "Paint for yourself. Nothing is cheating. Work from life, imagination, photos...work fast, work slow, take chances. It's just paint, no one will die." The biggest challenges are shedding fear. I have been stoked by people who say things like, "Serious artists don't..." whatever. There are lots of do's and don'ts that serious artists engage in. But the more that I study art, and meet artists, I realize they all do the same thing...whatever the hell they want, over and over, until people show up, and love it. So. I say if you want to be a good painter, work. Work from your heart. Work on cardboard, with watercolors. Work with crayon. Work with acrylic. Just do it. Practice, play, experiment, because NO ONE DIES.
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