Reasons to Keep Painting

From another late-blooming painter and former President, comes  an argument that supports my reasons to keep painting:

I wanted to make sure the last chapters of my life were full, and painting, it turns out, has helped occupy not only space but opened my mind. (George W. Bush)

Well, that, and the grandkids still like to come over and create. Also, painting – art – creating —  is just fun. And

Once in awhile a painting ‘comes off the brush’ without many corrections… (Ray Ward)

But not so with my most recent endeavor.

Just when I thought I had finished copying a Matisse, I discovered, no: the copy of the copy was not quite accurate . . ., which is probably the reason I finished so quickly.

First “Matisse: Wanna be

Henri Matisse seemed to love the colors that sunshine magnifies; open windows occupied his imagination, too. So, I should have realized the original “inspiration” had no clearly defined window. The Internet proved itself, again, not as reliable a conveyer of inspiration as art books – or museums.  (Thank you Baltimore Museum of Art)

So, I made a few corrections – defining the windowsill and shutter, which are hallmarks in many of Matisse’s works, adding a few more “flowers” and painting a bit of sky behind the tree.

I added a few corrections

I wish all my lapses were so easily correctible.

But, I am grateful though for the inspiration painters like Matisse offer – surely reasons to keep painting. Not to mention, spring is coming and eyewitness opportunities may abound.

Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers — and never succeeding. ~ Marc Chagall

Another reason to keep painting are the pictures I have of precious memories:

Will and Mimi and Ed