Productivity

Mountain Stream oil 16 x 12

"There seem to be times of reception and times of creation and it is perhaps difficult not to confuse the two." -Margaret Wise Brown

This week has been a bit of a wash when it comes to work.  Life sometimes gets in the way (this week the dog was at the vet and we had to deal with the neighbor's broken pipes flooding our house) and productivity goes out the window.  I get a bit flustered when I don't have much to show for my time in any given day, but I have to remind myself that as a painter, I am always taking in ideas. 

On my daily walk with the dog, it is hard not to notice the early morning light, or the color on the mountains, or the way the willows dip to touch the river along the way. Sometimes ideas will come when I'm driving, or cooking dinner, or watching a movie. I'll take those collected thoughts back to the studio.  It is important to have your eyes open and to be receptive, and though it doesn't seem like I'm working when I'm noticing the world, that time is just as important as time spent in the studio.