Rising from the Dead

I have to be honest. I have yet to totally get into the spirit of blogging. Not that I don't read them, as that would be a substantial untruth. But actually sitting down and daily or even regularly documenting my life's events to the online world at large, has perpetually been a challenge. And I had to be honest with myself, that if I truly wanted to resurrect this blog and instill in me the fortitude to keep going, I needed a focal point. Some item or project that I wanted to share, so even on the leanest of days, there would be something to write about. Something to share.

Which is what has brought me here today. I am going to try an experiment. Anyone who knows me, artistically, also is keenly aware that I go through seriously dry intervals. They may not be as keenly aware that it follows cycles of increased work related stress, but that is not as relevant as the attempts to ween myself off these dry spells.

Since I have limited art educational opportunities, do to geography, schedule, and budget. I have devised an experiment for myself. I am going to attempt to plow through and document my own "school" of hard knocks. I will select artists whose work I not only admire, but who also teach via books, blogs, and/or video and follow along, right here before your very eyes. I realize that some of the ground will be old hat, but much will be new, and some will familiar, but taken in a direction that I thought inconceivable before. But then, that is the point.

Due to my current schedule and I haven't the faintest idea of how much time will be involved on the blog side of this experiment, I am going to start simply. One teacher, one set of books, and a basic time frame. If this works out productively, I will add more to the process, as I grow and become more facile and more comfortable with the process.

I am going to begin with watercolor (or watercolour). My artist of choice is David Lyle Millard, and I will be using his books Joy of Watercolor and More Joy of Watercolor, with supporting lessons from Charles Reid and Vincenc Ballestar. All of whom share a similar approach, but with drastically different results. My goal is to proceed through both books within 100 days, or one typical Semester. It is also my goal to document this as real time as possible. And I deeply hope, that those of you reading this blog will not only contribute your thoughts and criticisms (constructive are best), but also hold me accountable for my posts. Push me, goad me, or whack me upside the noggin' with a virtual frying pan (only my mother and wife are allowed the real thing), and do whatever it takes to keep me going.

I will need a few additional materials to get me started. The initial lessons, thankfully, use what I have currently at my disposal. Class starts this evening. Wish me luck!