Happily an Artist

 "Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee:  All things pass.....  Patience attains all that it strives for."   --  St. Teresa of Avila.

"Patience is a bitter plant but it has a sweet fruit."  --  German Proverb

   You have probably heard of the expression..."Lord, I want patience and I want it right now!"  Well, that is exactly what I need, and that, I do know, especially when working on a preliminary drawing for a painting.  AND, not to mention also after starting on the actual painting.

     Lack of patience can ruin the drawing and the painting.  Or, maybe I am mixing up the feeling of anxiety and fear with patience. 

Taking the time to work on the drawing correctly will help eliminate any future mistakes or problems.  Working on that preliminary drawing can become frustrating at times.  Redrawing and perhaps redrawing again, and again.  A person could scream!!  Patience seems so elusive. We cannot have the best completed results of the painting until we begin with the right structure.  So, it will take time . . . and patience. 

Feeling so anxious to get on with it . . . along with that fear of it not turning out.  But, patience will help the anxiety and fears.  Take a step at a time . . . or maybe I should say,  A line at a time with endurance. 

    Patience is a form of action also. Action that gives us discipline in doing our work to help move us in a positive direction.  It is concentration and showing strength of mind.   It is patience that stops us from the temptation to stop doing our work.  Patience enables us to develop, grow, and mature in our work as an artist.  Without patience, none of this could happen. 

    It takes time to develop as an artist and patience is a very important trait for an artist to have.  Who wants to wait for this to happen?  It goes beyond that.  We learn perseverance and fortitude with patience. 

At times it may seem like you are not improving with your work, like nothing is happening, but there really is something happening.  It takes time.  It takes patience.  It is a working process.

    Those who don't want to bother with making that commitment, with not wanting to persevere through the difficult stages of becoming an accomplished artist will not easily have productive results, if any.  Most everything in life has a waiting period that one must go through. 

   Learning to ice skate, as the painting above shows, takes a huge amount of patience.  When I was a kid, I tried to learn, but didn't.  It was hard for me.  My ankles would not do what I wanted them to do.  I didn't want to wait and practice and learn. I should have had patience.    However, later in my life,  it took a lot of patience to do the painting of BoatHouse Row.

   How many of us enjoy waiting in traffic? Ugh.    I remember some years ago, my husband and I were on our way back home to Pennsylvania from an outdoor art show in Wickford, Rhode Island.   Well, we ended up being stuck on the highway along with miles and miles of traffic in Connecticut.  AND it was hours.  It was a hot, muggy day too. 

Finally many people decided what the heck, we may as well as do something with this time...and soon  families were seen on the sides of the highway playing frisbee, a game of ball, or sitting on the side relaxing, reading a book, or having a spontaneous picnic, or for me, doing some sketching.

Because of cell phones, etc.., we all knew we were going to be there for a while.  We had to have patience and make the best of the situation. Strangers got to know strangers. Groups of people got together playing ball and laughing, etc.  It was turned into a nice time.  Unusual happening during all those hours, but it was patience that got us all through those hours. We had to accept and endure.

    It takes patience...... so, while waiting for all that studying to sink into your mind, or what is often said, "For it to finally Click,'  learn through the virtue of patience to improve upon your work, use that time to be productive, to not despair, keep a steady pace with doing your best, and you will be rewarded.

   Patience is one of the most essential tools to be used in your room full of art supplies and tools. Don't become discouraged with your progress.  Don't give up no matter how many times you have tried and failed.  The next time you try, could be the right time.  Your efforts will take you to fulfillment.

  It also takes time to develop patience.  We all want patience.  It is not something you can have at the snap of your finger, but it can grow.  Some people have it more easily than others.   Maybe having it is based on faith and trust.   All I know is that it is a very important trait to develop and have.

Thank you for reading.

Artfully yours,

Sandy