Calais Pier, 1801
Wreckers Coast of Northumberland, 1836
Whalers, 1845
I'm coming to the opinion that the best use of painting, and maybe the entire point of painting, is to ascend to a common summit of skill and understanding, and then to find your own path down.
Damn. I'm sending off my 8th graders for their last day of the school year tomorrow. I'll have to share this with them, then remember to share it with them often next year. (I teach math.) I'm seeing that this may apply to that age old question of learning, "Why am I doing this? Why is this important to learn?" I've shared it before, in the sense of, "We need to have a common understanding of the skills in our discipline before we can lead others in our direction, otherwise you'll just find yourself lost and alone." The summit metaphor adds another dimension to this basic tenet of life and learning. Thanks.I'm coming to the opinion that the best use of painting, and maybe the entire point of painting, is to ascend to a common summit of skill and understanding, and then to find your own path down.
I've been listening to and watching a lot of videos by and about artists from various media and it seems that this philosophy is, fortunately, not exclusive to painting. Imagine how horribly dull our creative efforts would be if this wasn't the case. Personally, I'd love to take this approach but have neither the resources and guides on hand, nor a mountain to climb. So instead of ascending summits, I meander in nearby woods. :)I'm coming to the opinion that the best use of painting, and maybe the entire point of painting, is to ascend to a common summit of skill and understanding, and then to find your own path down.