Mistakes and Corrections

It's been said time and again that art is a series of mistakes and corrections. It's absolutely true. Grasping that is helpful as it helps an artist dive in and not worry. I have always said concerning drawing that you can't correct a line that isn't drawn so don't hesitate, Draw. All art works this way, there's no sense in over thinking. When I paint outside, I try to cover my canvas as quickly as possible with some colors. I usually roughly draw the big objects and then mix something about 2-3 values darker for each major area and go like heck at getting the canvas covered. I pick the principle areas and hit the darks in and start forming the image. It's fast. Once you start it's easy to see what needs to be corrected to achieve the final product.

This painting is of a hitching post. It's the genuine article, 150 years old and made from hand wrought iron. How cool is that. Think of the people who tied their horses to this 150 years ago; six generations ago. Wow, I got to paint it. .... I wonder which will last longer, my painting or the hitching post?