Saturday, September 27, 2008

Walula Jct. and 4-Year Old Wisdom

Sailing, painting, eating, and friending has enriched my last 24 hours. I am happy, if not a bit weary.

One other thing. I have always shied away from calling myself an artist. There is something presumptuous about it, something a bit too final for my liking. It's like calling yourself a lover, or a believer, or something equally ambitious. A four year old observer of this painting asked if I was one. I asked him what an artist is. He said an artist is someone who likes to paint. What do you think an artist is? Is the four year old right?

3 comments:

Kevin said...

Great googly moogly, that picture makes me miss the northwest. [cries]

Loved the thoughts about artists too. I've often felt the same way about calling myself a "minister" or "preacher." I'd rather something like "journeyman"--it suggests some level of knowledge regarding one's vocation of the moment, but acknowledges that one has a long way to go and there isn't any "end" to reach, anyway. I'm way too old and cynical to even think of doing better than the four-year-old's definition, so I'm of no use there.

Unknown said...

I agree with the four-year-old with one caveat: an artist is someone who obsessively and compulsively paints/draws/doodles/creates. You are an artist.

Mike Lawrence said...

As long as you refer to yourself as an artist, not arteest, I won't make fun of you. Great watercolor by the way.

mike
illustrator