The Art of the Art..
Some of the best parts of the artist's profession are not seen in the finished works that we share with our audience.
The most amazing aspects of the art career can be found elsewhere:
messy palettes laden with unspeakably strange color mixtures,
bottles of hand-refined oil that mingle on the taboret,
jars of rare and toxic pigments,
an endless array of brushes, paint, canvases, panels and paint...
The list could go on and on..
These materials are like magic.
From the artist's inspiration and a handful of simple items, whole new worlds are born, into which the viewer is allowed entrance.
For the aesthetically sensitive artist, the tools of the trade and the studio in which they are combined are of great importance. The origin of the materials are better understood as much research is undertaken. It is said that painters of old refined their own painting oils as an apprentice, only to use these finely aged golden liquids decades afterward in their late careers, much as one would age a fine wine.
For the artist, the career trajectory is incredibly long. It never ceases to gain upward momentum as the work never ends, and the idea of retirement is an illusion.