Procrastination?


Lately I think I’m just a waste of human skin!

I have so many ideas for paintings running through my brain, but none are coming out onto the paper. Could this be because I don’t just sit down and paint? Instead I’ll find something else that “must be done right away”. Obviously, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and cooking fall under that category. But they don’t really lend themselves to anything artistic. Or could they? Hmmmm . . . and I’ve just added a few more ideas for paintings skittering around inside my otherwise empty head.

And I tend to paint slowly. Once I get my idea onto the paper, my favorite way to paint is to glaze, so that takes more time. I think I must also be getting that Adult Attention Deficit Disorder since I can’t seem to focus on any one thing for longer than a half hour.

Just to be fair to myself, I have been busy with some classes. One requires that, one day a week, I hop in the car and drive for 45 minutes, set up, teach and clean up for 3 plus hours, then another 45 minutes home. And, since there has been a bizarre wreck on the local interstate involving support pillars for the expressway having been hit by a TRAIN LOCOMOTIVE (yes, you read that correctly) which necessitates a detour, my 45 minute drive will now probably be more like an hour each way, at least. Then I have some classes at home which involve not only the time to teach, but also set up, clean up and homework.

I also was (am?) the chairperson for the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society current spring show, so there was much time spent on that. Then I was accepted into the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati juried show, which meant that I had to drive cross country (I live in Indiana, the venue was on the east side of Cincinnati) twice, once to drop off and once to pick up, because, Heaven forbid anyone should actually purchase the painting!

Hmmm . . . can I come up with any other excuses? I wish I could, but the aforementioned has no bearing on all of the other hours of all of the other days that I could be painting. So, what’s my excuse for that? Sadly, I have none, other than to say that I’m a terrible procrastinator.

Case in point – here I sit at the computer typing this drivel when I could be painting!

But maybe this counts for some sort of artistic endeavor – after all, I’m trying to communicate with other artists here, right? And at least I’m thinking about art, right? And I also have to think that reading my art magazines or looking through my art books or photographs seeking inspiration also has to count as artistic endeavor. Right? Come on, help me out here!!!

And it sure would be nice of you to leave a comment (good or bad) just so I know that someone out there is reading this stuff! Because that would give me even more excuses not to paint – I’d have to read all of those comments, right?

I’m going to really, really try to blog at least once a week – which gives me a really great reason to not paint, right?

In the meantime, here’s my first attempt at fluid acrylics, painted about 2 years ago, which has gotten quite a few kind comments. “The Jetskiier”, fluid acrylic on Arches.