# 76 - Does This Painting Touch You?

                                         # 6

                                         # 7

                                         # 8

                                          # 9 "Hope at K and A II" (Nearly Completed)

Fellow Art Lovers:

With the exception of maybe two or three minor touches, “Hope at K and A II” may be completed. I’ve now spent just about four more sessions on the painting, and I feel I’m just about there. Two of the sessions were relatively short, maybe an hour or two; the third session lasted just about an entire day, and – frankly – it gave me a real feeling of joy, and it was one of those moments when I felt totally in my groove and didn’t notice the time go by.

During that session, it was not only the act of painting; While my brush was making adjustments in the four main figures – the teenager and the father with his two sons – I was getting more and more ideas about what I should add and what liquidity of paint and what kind of brush stroke I should use. Thus, it was a period of two kinds of creativity – what methods to use to get my ideas across and the act of using those methods. This was also the case of the fourth session, when I started making some adjustments, and then luckily getting new ideas, that I went ahead and added.

I mentioned that there are a few tiny touches I want to make before I conclude that I’ve taken “Hope at K and A II” as far as I can, to communicate the emotions the scene transmitted to me in the beginning. In just a few words, the teenager has a spot of red just under one eye; I might want to add just a bit more gleam in his eyes; I kind of fudged some of the sidewalk cracks that make it look like I wasn’t sure what I was painting; and the two vague images throw funny shadows on the sidewalk.

And now, a confession: At times when I paint, I feel blocked and lose my confidence. So, what do I do? I’m a realist when it comes to painting. Yes, I do want to stay in that groove and feel my confidence in sure brush strokes. But when I feel blocked, I reason with myself that I have to be patient, just work steadily and try to solve the problems I see, and soon enough I will feel the creative wind on my back again and my confidence will return. Two of my most important goals are to squeeze as much out of each painting, and be able to tell myself that – given my level of talent and skill – I keep making progress.

So, what have I accomplished? As I’ve said so many times, I want to transmit emotion with my painting. I want you – the viewer – to feel something for these human beings who don’t have easy lives but still fight courageously to improve them in an honorable way. I want you to feel a richness in your mind and heart and be able to tell yourself,  “This is what it means to respond like a sensitive human being.“

A Favor: Therefore, I’d like to ask you for a favor.  I’d like to know your reaction to both the painting, and also whether you followed the step-by-step progression I’ve presented to you. I’ll confess that some of our fellow art lovers have mentioned to me that they’ve found the exercise enlightening, and I’d just like to know if the interest is wider. If you do have a second to let me know, you can e-mail me at: billkosman@gmail.com

As always, thanks for your time and support.