Painting: A Metaphor For Life.

Geez. What a cheezy blog title.











But it is true.

I have been a painter for most of my life.


From childhood scribblings on the wall to the self indulgent and admittedly pretentious commissions on canvas (ego is a bad thing-- I wish I had a "Simon Cowell" or "Chef Ramsay" -like-critic overlooking my constant endeavours and properly putting me in my place. I don't mean to be self deprecating but a harsh and honest reality check will sharpen the skill set and temper the soul).



Whenever I start a piece, I ALWAYS have preconceived notions and prejudices as to how the image SHOULD look like as opposed to how it ACTUALLY looks like.



What?


What I mean is that I have
notions as to where the eyes of the image should be placed, what proportions should be employed with the body of the model, how the spatial relationship of the background comes in to play etc.


When I rely exclusively on my own ideas the painting invariably comes across as a distorted image.

The same holds true for other matters-- such as life itself.

Whenever I am challenged with a setback, disappointment, or even a dispute, my first reaction is to bombard the challenge with my willpower in order to make things conform as to how I think things SHOULD be.

This results usually in an equally distorted outcome. Just like the painting.



There are well known practices that artists use when portraying an image. For example, holding the piece up to a mirror which magically reveals imperfections, turning the piece upside down for an unbiased look from another angle, and even leaving the work alone for a couple days to renew your perception on the work with a fresh set of eyes.

These tips are great suggestions in how I should approach other issues...





Perhaps in holding up the mirror to myself, so to speak, I get an honest reflection as to how my role needs to be adjusted. Turning things upside down and revisiting the challenge from another angle may provide a clearer and larger view of what needs to be done. Leaving something be for a couple of days before addressing an issue will usually refresh and enhance a balanced point of view.








Yeah.

Cheezy analogy.


But it does work.





.