Since I began oil painting in 2019, I’ve completed well over 120 different paintings. I have them hanging on the walls throughout my home. Every few weeks, I’ll move them around so that I’m looking at different paintings as I workout, get dressed, brush my teeth, write my blog, open the front door, eat dinner and play the drums.
I’ve thrown out only 2 paintings that I completed when I first began learning to paint. They were so ugly, that I couldn’t stand looking at them anymore. After staring at them for a year and a half, I learned the lessons I needed to not repeat the mistakes I made early on.
Of the 120+ paintings, I’ve given away 2.
The first one went to my friends across the street. When I was visiting their home for a 4th of July party, I commented on their unique, purple colored, blown glass chandelier. They told me they got it in Europe when they were on their honeymoon. They mentioned they were looking for artwork to put on the wall behind it. A few weeks later, I completed a purple painting that was one of my favorites. As I looked at it on my wall, it occurred to me that this painting was perfect for their dining room. So I gave it to them.
The second one I gave to my friend Craig. After a year of encouraging my painting attempts and offering gentle critiques, one day when I sent him a snapshot of my latest work, he said , “I want that one.”
Done.
Each of my paintings means something to me. It reflects a time in my life, a mood, a thought, an idea, a memory, a place or an experience. Often when I stare at a painting I’ll see things in it I never saw before.
Each painting is a piece of me.
I would never sell them.
But I will give them away to people I care about. Because when I gift someone a painting, I am giving them a piece of me too.
There are two people on my list I want to give paintings to – Atif and her. I am inviting each of them come visit my home to select a painting (or paintings) they like.
That way, I don’t choose something for them that they might not like.
After all, they are not all gems (obviously) and even I don’t like to look at some of them.
I hope they bring a small feeling of joy, friendship and meaning to my friends much as thinking of my friends does for me.