My first attempt at photo realism

If I were a tea drinker, I would have definitely treated myself to a nice cuppa after finishing the first photo-realistic painting in the final foundation block of the Evolve Art Programme!

The pace of painting has reduced to a snail's pace. I am learning to stay present with every single brushstroke and to be accurate and specific - each line, edge, gradient and colour is meant to reflect the photograph. No room for "winging it."

I want to just get on with it and see what emerges, but I keep reminding myself that discipline, patience and mindfulness are helpful skills to learn, regardless of whether or not I will ever paint like this again when the oil painting course is finished.

I am learning to map out in which sequence I will tackle each area of a painting before I pick up a brush, practicing to stay within the line and to clearly separate dark and light values.

Whether this organised approach will spill over from painting to housework and other areas of my life remains to be seen... (As a child, I shared a room with my sister who always kept her half of the room immaculate. My mother hoped that her approach would rub on me. However, my things were always all over the place, spilling over into the other half of the room.)

I have found a way to treat myself after all the hard work: Louise Fletcher's free taster course "Find your joy" is all about experimentation and play.