Finding Time

[Wendilee]

During the past few weeks more folks have entered the gallery wanting to paint. Wistfully they declare how they have no time or no talent - or both. The latter need not be a barrier for the skills can be learned. The former is a mind set.
When the children were young I had not yet begun to develop my interest in visual work. But through out my life I have needed something to do with my hands to keep my sanity in tact. Once it was pottery, then guitar and piano, mandolin and banjo, song writing and sewing. When the kids were little and I had to follow along behind as they trundled through mud puddles and chases balls, I turned to hand piecing sampler quilts. The colors called.  For each child a quilt emerged- purple for Luke, green for Gabe and blue for Ben. But it could not tell the stories. And so sketching entered the scene. While the kids slept I grabbed 10 minutes a night the last ounces of energy used.
This was my art for 10 years. Sketchbooks filled with Japanese and rough indications of what was seen.

And so to any of you wanting to paint begin now no matter what the time constraints are. Build your vision. Sketch for just 10 minutes a day.