I was the kid in school who drew. That's how they knew me. Luckily I wasn't distracted by athletic talent or girls liking me so I had lots of time to draw. I drew Bono and the Beatles and football players and Jesus on the cross and on motorcycles. As a strategy for getting feminine attention it's not very effective, I found out, but as therapy it was perfect. I needed lots of escape. And I was told I was good.

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Then I went to college and completely stopped drawing. I wish I knew why.

 

30 years later during the COVID lockdown I needed escape again. A different kind of course. My perceptive wife noticed and put some old brushes and half-spent tubes of oil paint in my hands and told me to go sit at that tiny desk and try to paint. She knew I used to draw. I took a piece of scrap wood out of the barrel (my day job is furniture making) and gave it a go. Didn't want to waste a good canvas on nonsense. Plus the Mona Lisa was painted on wood. Did you know that?

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I decided to paint the places I longed to visit but couldn't. Italy, France, the grocery store. My first attempts were messy. So I watched a guy on Youtube teach me how to paint a lemon and then an avocado. Everyone said they looked good. So then I painted two tomatoes. Again, nice kudos from the people.

 

Turns out I could do this but -- and this is important -- only after guidance from many talented teachers. I've decided always to see myself as a beginner student. At 78 Renoir said his last words about painting, which were "I think I am beginning to learn something about it." There will always be more to learn.

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Now it's two years on and I've sold about 35 paintings. My talented wife does live painting at weddings and together we do watercolor portraits at weddings and other events.*  We are making it work. So I'm considering doing art full-time now. After careers in ministry and woodworking I'm now ready for the next thing, maybe. This website is my toe in the water to see if it's possible.

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Thanks for visiting it, and for reading all of this. Please let me know your thoughts or questions or send me pictures of whatever YOU love to make. I'm always fascinated by creativity.

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*if you are interested in the wedding paintings or live watercolor portraits you can see them at my wife's site alyssaloveart.com.

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