From Five Feet Away…

It doesn’t look too bad. From five feet away, my winter scene painting actually looks like a river covered with patches of snow and ice. I have lots of trees on the hillsides, and I have a few scraggly weeds growing close to the riverbank.

For such a long time, I’ve worried over how my paintings look up close. As I’m painting, I fret about every brush stroke I make. At least, I always have in the past.

That’s really changing now, and it’s one of the most positive changes that’s ever occurred in my approach to art.

I started this painting quite some time ago, then with our move from one home to another, it was set aside. It took several months for me to get back to this painting.

Maybe the thing I love most about my new studio — even more than that huge sink that makes for easy clean-up, even more than those shelves for art books, canvases, and art supplies — is that it’s so easy for me to step back away from my easel, not just a few feet, but all the way across the room.

And when I do, it amazes me to see that, really, from five feet away — or more — my paintings look good. At least, they’re starting to look good. I’m seeing signs of improvement, and I’m picking up my brushes with more confidence now. It’s getting easier to see what I’m creating because all I have to do is back away from the easel.

I’m pleased with the progress I’m making. I hope you like this painting.