Midnight Teahouse -a plein air painting from Tustin

oil 12x12 FRAMED For a closer look and purchase info click here. Here's an honest story about being an artist: This piece was part of Old Town Tustin Art Walk and Plein Air Contest. I drove an hour to Tustin and spent several hours choosing my subject and waiting for sunset. I painted this on the street after dark wearing a headlamp. It was a ton of fun, but when I finished at about 10pm I realized that I was very cold and my bad neck muscles were in spasm. Two weeks of daily headache followed. Maybe an award from the judges will make my effort worth it. Nope. The last straw was very poor sales on Tustin Art Walk day. Thus, I had spent a lot of effort for nothing. All this to say that being an artist is not all fun and games. "That must be relaxing," I heard recently from a passer by while painting on the street. Well sometimes it is just plain hard work, disapointment and even self-doubt. No, not relaxing. Except that your mind is so engaged that you don't even know you're freezing or you have to pee until you sign the painting. Maybe you could say the focused mind is a diversion from the news and personal troubles, but no, not relaxing. What keeps me going? I love to paint. I love paint, color, light and shadow. There's paint in my blood. I know I was made to do this. Today I'll teach a children's class. This weekend I'll teach an Advanced Still Life workshop. I'm so excited about both!