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Tonight I (mostly) finished my latest painting - a whopper by my standards. 30 by 40 inches. Trying to paint bigger might not seem like a big deal to you, but

Let. Me. Tell. You. 

It IS kind of a big deal!

Galleries that I've connected with in hopes of one day being represented have all said the same thing - that 9x12 or 8x10" paintings are not what they're looking for. And I understand that. But…oh my gosh! So I ordered larger canvasses, and wow did they come in a big box! I pulled one out and nearly fell over. These suckers were big - ginormous even - especially compared to the sizes I'd been working with until now.

So, you're probably thinking "Well c'mon Pat, what's the big deal?" But it turns out it IS a big deal.

It takes me an hour now to prep my canvasses. I need a bigger gesso brush! The tiny little toothbrush-sized dabs of paint I squeeze out on my palette are used up in one or 2 strokes. Huh. Itty bitty 1/4" wide brushes just don't cut it anymore, I have a lot more real estate to cover now. And it's a good thing I bought an easel that has a ratchet mechanism that makes it easy to move the whole darn canvas up or down depending on which part I'm working on. I actually had to sit on the floor tonight to sign my latest.

But in spite of these literal growing pains I'm going through, one thing that's a pretty neat metaphor is that now I find I have to step back. I have to back away and view my work from much more of a distance. Yes you can zero in on every brushstroke. See every nuance and detail. 

But…

Step away, and somehow the picture gets clearer. It makes more sense. Colors gel, depth is more obvious, the whole thing just works better. 

I'm sure I'm over-simplifying, but maybe that's the answer to some of the troubling stuff in the world today. Just take a step back. Pause! Let things breathe. No story can be told with one brushstroke, one detail, just one swipe of color. Look at the bigger picture! I think it's human nature to drill down into the rough spots - the things we think need fixing. Instead of appreciating the whole, what we already have. 

Sorry if I'm getting too deep. It's such a divisive world today, and I wish it wasn't. It doesn't have to be. So go get lost in my painting. It's a little bit more than a babbling brook, not quite a raging river. Picture yourself fishing there. Or hear the sound of the water splashing off the rocks. Imagine you've waded in and can feel the cool current swirling around your feet. To me, it's quiet, and calm and refreshing. I hope you think so too!