Wrestling and Art

 

(Sketch of my son Elijah in the black hat and his friend Kelton)       

     Watching steer wrestling or similar activities to get an unwilling animal to cooperate with human intentions can be humorous.  But for the individual involved, frustration and lots of struggle can go into accomplishing the successful end result.  

     I find similar correlations from steer wrestling to the making of art.  How does that break down?  Well, at first, excitement to begin a new piece drives the selection of composition, size, preparation of panel board with gesso, painting a neutral color wash over the whole painting, and then laying in the sketch.  Next comes the first strokes of color here and there around the composition.  Things are still going great!  But......then you start to get a sense that the colors aren't working together well. You are not sure exactly what to change.  So you muck around in the paints trying to figure out just what color will correct the balance.  You resort to your color theory books.  You may call an artist friend.  You check out Youtube videos on the topic.  You may visit the local art museum or galleries for reference.  You pray.  Sometimes for me this can go on much longer than I have patience.  But that is what develops perseverance.

    There are no shortcuts to learning or improving your skill set.  You just keep picking up the brush and working away at it, wrestling with it, until at last color harmony starts to emerge from the composition.  You feel like "maybe"  the problem is solved.  Somehow it all comes together in the end to be at least a respectable piece of art.  But wow...the process isn't always easy and can be quite discouraging.  You sense you have really wrestled with that piece of art.  To wrestle means to contend by grappling with and striving with something, to engage in a determined struggle.  And that is where art reflects life!  We engage often in a determined struggle with a variety of issues and problems that come into our lives.  What do you do?  Along with other good choices, you keep "picking up the brush and painting".  You take the NEXT right step...incremental as that might be.  Ultimately the "painting" of your life will be complete and every color will matter to the whole.  

     I love the story from Aesop's Fables about the rabbit and the turtle.  More on that in another blog perhaps, but the point is "steady at it wins the race".  So whatever it may be for you in your life, keep on wrestling!