Several Observations Result From a Painting Project

I just finished a painting project this afternoon for my friend. I typically don't take on such projects because by trade I'm not what you'd call a "stand-on-a-ladder-all-day" artist. My feet are still aching. I don't know how mural artists do it.

My friend asked me to paint the soffit above her kitchen cabinets to match her dinnerware. With any painting project, the prep work is the hardest part. Using a plate and a bowl as references, I created several preliminary sketches on tracing paper. After my friend's approval, I created sketches for the entire length of each soffit. I'm glad I have a long table in my studio to do this kind of work.

This picture is a closeup of the second photo above. 

With the exception of two leaves that I added on either side of the center design, this part looks like the design on the bowl. As for the rest of the project, I created my own arrangement.

The painting process is the easiest part, and it's almost meditative in a way. It's very calming.

So, what does a girl think about while she's on a ladder all day? For one thing, I thought about how God gives everybody different types of gifts. As an artist, I can share my gift with others and, hopefully, make their day a bit brighter when they look at my artwork. Likewise, the person who's good with math or science can make our lives easier with inventions, new medicines, and cures for diseases.

Another thing I realized is that all the new music today sounds the same. I was listening to a local radio station while I was painting, and it sounded like the same band or singer was singing every single new song. Back in the day, every band or singer had a distinctive sound. Whether it was disco, rock, dance, or whatever, the musicians all had their own sound within any one of those music genres.

Take disco for example. Donna Summer sounds different from singers Diana Ross, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Gloria Gaynor, and Patti Labelle. As for rock, Led Zeppelin possesses a different sound from Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, KISS, Deep Purple, and the Rolling Stones. Get my point?

It's interesting how a painting project could lead to several observations. Life is a wonderful learning experience!