Today I started my largest project of this winter (or summer if you're in Southern hemisphere for that matter). I was tempted to say spring, because it might just as well not be finished before spring, but hell no, that's not gonna happen. I will absolutely kill this project (in the good meaning of the word).

You know, some people think that I'm just living my dream because I earn living by what I love- painting. They think that I just hang around the studio all day, dancing around with brushes, tending to my canvases like a happy bee. Unfortunately the reality is not that fabulous most of the time. Or at least I should say often!

I can only talk for myself, but I think I'm pretty safe when I say it in general
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Artists have to overcome major obstacles every day. It's called resistance.

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And nobody can write about it better than the Master guru Steven Pressfield himself. I cannot praise this man's book "The war of art" enough. It's a must read for all creative poeple:
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Ha, this being said, I have good news. I kicked the ass of the bitch named Resistance today. Not that she is not coming to try defeat me tomorrow. She shows up every day. But today, I was the winner and today is all I have. NOW is all I have. Tomorrow belongs to God.

I spent last 2 days stretching and priming a 8x6 feet canvas. That's a big size fellas and it takes certain skills to tackle even the task of preparing it for painting. I applied the last layer of gesso last night and when I came to studio this morning, it was dry, and all I did to finish the preps was to run a sand paper all over it to smooth it out even more.

You ain't gonna see any magic today. It takes a while to paint something like this in my style, which is not abstract or fast style. I do paint fast compared to most, but my style is too elaborate to cover 48 square feet in a day or two.

But I will be vulnerable and show you how such an undertaking begins.

It begins with Light...

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I sometimes put the primary intention into a word and write in on canvas before I start. My goal for this painting is obvious: to bring light. And you will see in the end what I meant.

Right in the first layer. Using big paint brush not really meant for artistic painting :)

And this is as far as I got today. It did not take me more than an hour or two, but I can't get further at this point. Why? Tricks of oil paint, long story folks!

What makes an artist an artist is that he/she has a vision that is invisible to others. He has the capacity to overcome the initial resistance and see the work of beauty that the initial layers do not show yet! And that is precisely one of my daily battles against resistance, only one of many: persisting with my brush although it looks nothing but messy and the final result seems light years away, if arriving at all! To win such a battle is the most intoxicating feeling in the world!

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Great example of such a victory is here below.

WHEN THIS:

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TURNS INTO THIS:

Worth the battle? Indeed! One more from Pressfield before I call it off? Indeed!
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This, my dear fellow Steemians, should give you a pause for thought.

Thanks for reading, upvoting, commenting and resteeming!

Much Love to all!

Jan
Follow @jankasparec