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Wild Roses, Freedom and Opportunity

July 31, 2019 By: Paul17 Comments

Wild Roses, Oil on Panel, 5 by 7 inches.

This painting is up for auction until August 2nd, 2019.

Click here to see more pictures and/or bid.

So much of painting is opportunity

Opportunity – obviously – to paint. Painting and continually working on improving is demanding and time consuming.

You can do it part time whilst you have a day job. I did, for years. And I did make progress. You absolutely can too.

But it’s been brought home to me lately how much more time I can give it now, and the effect that’s had.

Getting here was far from easy and entailed a very, very large leap of faith.

Deciding not to go back to another corporate job, then selling our house in order to fund a wild experiment in becoming a full time artist and teacher is probably the most frightening (and exciting) thing I’ve done.

It goes against all my upbringing; to play it safe, take the well-trodden path, work towards security.

And there still isn’t any guarantee that it will work out long term. We don’t own our own house now (well, we only owned about half of our last one when we sold it anyway).

Still sometimes, I wake up in the morning in a state of panic that I can’t pin down, until I remember where I am and what I’m doing.

It’s not like this has been easy.

But when I come into the studio early every morning, before the kids wake up, and I start my day, I know why we did it.

When I see my kids run out into the (semi-wild) garden in their pyjamas and watch as their imaginations expand, I know why.

When I walk out into the same garden myself, or the fields around us here, and constantly stumble on beautiful subjects for paintings, I know why.

These wild roses came from our garden, one of the less managed corners of it (actually very little of it is managed!)

I don’t believe I’d ever seen wild roses before I came here. In fact I didn’t know what they were until friend, incredible flower painter and rose afficianado Kathy Speranza pointed them out to me when she visited last year.

Many things are changing about the way I paint at the moment, but perhaps the biggest change has been simply coming here, having the opportunity to paint, and having nature all around to inspire me.

Painting then becomes an act of closeness to nature – and perhaps of empathy with it too.

However things turn out for us, the quiet time I spend now with my flowers in my studio is healing, perhaps because it’s so meaningful. And it’s certainly meditative.

It’s hard for me to encourage you to make such an apparently wild leap yourself, although I’d like to. Certainly, I would never have done it myself if a series of very difficult events hadn’t pushed me towards it.

But we do only have this one life.

On days when my head is clear and the fear hasn’t gripped me, I understand that what we experience in the time we have is much more important than what we own.

And the experiences we give to those we love and are responsible for are much more important than the things we buy them.

Best wishes and thanks for reading,

Paul

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About Paul

I'm a (mostly) self-taught artist. I paint realism in oils, mostly still life. I share my work, my evolving process and what knowledge I've gained on my own learning journey here, in the hope that it might help you along on
yours.

Comments

  1. 1

    Susan A. Gardner says

    July 31, 2019 at 3:50 pm

    Hello Paul:
    Thank you for the great information here – I had written to you before
    and ordered the little video on painting a pink rose – I received the video and thought it had downloaded – but I can not find it anywhere – would you tell me the name so I can search for it – or resend – I can not even find the video email? It is a mystery.

    Best to you, Susan

    Reply
    • 2

      Paul says

      July 31, 2019 at 3:54 pm

      No problem Susan, I’ll drop you an email and we’ll get it sorted out πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. 3

    Gabriella says

    July 31, 2019 at 5:11 pm

    Hi Paul,

    your always contemplative posts, always much for me to identify with – this one as well, is just the right time for me today. It’s a long time I havn’t been here, mainly because I took a total brake from my sometimes boringly balanced life: a 6 months tour in the USA, for the first time here and I still have august ahead until I fly home. My plans were working good out, grosso modo and the endless experiences, views (thousands of photos!) sum up to a luna park of life! Summaries – when back home. But today, your inward-turning, sincere and deep attitude suits me well: I might make changes for the remaining time because the one really unexpected is in progress: my cousin, whom I stay with, is in hospital with a serious infection. This might be a game changer.
    So, I am into a ‘blue’ day which is mainly about waiting to see how things turn out, no mood to walk around, no purpose to ACCOMPLISH anything, no reason to plan ahead, 0 productivity – just waiting. Yes, I organize my mails, my photos, read my book (Knausgaard ‘My Struggle’ book III), but anyway – this is the most difficult situation for me.
    I am so glad that your present life is taking a harmonious routine, as it seems/sounds/reads to me. It has joy in it with your family, it has challenges of your art which is a demanding and at the same time a healing experience; making a living for all this to happen and evolve. I think that you have many ‘happy hours’ every week to feel satisfied and enough challenges that pull you forwards without despairing stress.
    Artistically speaking: I still have so much to learn from you but postponing the total devotion painting demands as long as I am still able for more increased physical activities. I will have to include some lifestyle changes to include more everyday time with the easel.
    Keep going, with much appreciation, as always! Gabriella

    Reply
    • 4

      Paul says

      August 1, 2019 at 7:20 am

      Thank you Gabriella. Demanding and healing, yes – that’s a good way to put it.

      I hope this difficult situation resolves for you soon. The one constant, at least, is change.

      Reply
  3. 5

    Kim Homes says

    July 31, 2019 at 5:15 pm

    Thank you, Paul, for your insights and generous sharing of your journey. Your words are reassuring that the calling to paint is real and needs to be pursued.

    Reply
    • 6

      Paul says

      August 1, 2019 at 7:20 am

      It is and it does πŸ™‚ Thanks Kim.

      Reply
  4. 7

    cheryl sorensen says

    July 31, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    Thank you, Paul, for your beautiful insights into what’s really important in this world!!!

    Take care,
    Cher

    Reply
    • 8

      Paul says

      August 1, 2019 at 7:21 am

      You’re very welcome Cheryl, and thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  5. 9

    Renee Delight says

    July 31, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    Thank you Paul! Your post has shored up my courage as I am in the midst of making my own leap of faith with my own tremendous life change. Thanks for shining a light at the end of a very long tunnel for me!

    Reply
    • 10

      Paul says

      July 31, 2019 at 9:59 pm

      Ooh, that sounds exciting Renee! I wish you the very best with it.

      Reply
  6. 11

    Melissa says

    July 31, 2019 at 11:44 pm

    Hi Paul,
    First let me say your painting of wild roses is stunning. The energy of your new life is clearly working for you. Best of luck with the auction of this piece.

    I’m always encouraged by your words because you speak from your own everyday experiences and vulnerability. Always refreshing. Thank you.

    Reply
    • 12

      Paul says

      August 1, 2019 at 7:21 am

      Thanks Melissa. It’s really good to hear from you, too. Are you drawing and painting much?

      Reply
  7. 13

    Donna says

    August 1, 2019 at 11:03 am

    Hi Paul
    I am a new girl in your class, started last week and have really learnt so much about mixing colours. I have learnt more this week about colour than I have learnt in the last 12 years. I have also taken that leap of faith some 8 years now and it has been Initially quite fearful but I take courage and keep going. I have never regretted my choice and am grateful to meet a fellow artist who is doing the same.

    Reply
    • 14

      Paul says

      August 1, 2019 at 3:52 pm

      Hi donna, that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know. And here’s to no regrets πŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. 15

    James says

    August 2, 2019 at 2:42 am

    Hi Paul,
    Have you ever considered painting outside? It would be fascinating to see how you might set your mind to the kind of tonal/colour problems that would arise.

    Reply
    • 16

      Paul says

      August 2, 2019 at 6:45 am

      I have done a little, yes, and I’m eager to do more – especially with all this beautiful countryside around me. I’m at a bit of a loss to say (even to myself) why I haven’t yet, except that I always seem to be so busy!

      But expect some landscape paintings to begin appearing at some point πŸ™‚

      Much of the way I’m thinking about relationships in painting now is a kind of preparation for doing more of that.

      Reply
      • 17

        James says

        August 3, 2019 at 1:54 pm

        Great! Really look forward to it πŸ™‚

        Reply

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Hi, I’m Paul

I'm a (mostly) self-taught artist. I paint realism in oils, mostly still life. I share my work, my evolving process and what knowledge I've gained on my own learning journey here, in the hope that it might help you on yours.
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