30 Paintings In 30 Days - Day #13 - Fences

"Fear Is The Highest Fence."
      - Dudley Nichols

That quote is so true. I can guarantee that over the course of our lives, we are kept from more happiness and joy by our fears than we ever will be by something as simple as a barbed wire fence.

I know I for one have gone over, through, and under actual, physical fences of all kinds since childhood to get to things and places I wanted, but I am STILL hung up on that silliest of all fears, the fear of failure, that keeps me from achieving things I would love to accomplish.

If it had only been something as simple as a razor wire topped fence that separated me from creating art, it would not have taken me until the age of 41 to pick up a paintbrush. I'm slowly but surely getting better at facing, and overcoming, that silly fear of failure, and have no intention of letting it hold me back from any more of my dreams.

I spent this Saturday and part of Sunday miserably sick with some kind of GI bug. I did not stir from the sofa or the bed until Sunday afternoon, and had no desire or energy to create anything artistic. So I am now behind by two paintings. No worries though, I am confident I will be able to come up with some multi-painting days.

While flipping through my folder of reference photos, I came upon a very simple one with a fence running down a small hill and between two trees. The photo was of a winter scene, and I wondered what it would look like in the summer. The thought intrigued me, and I figured it would be something I could paint fast and loose and get done over my lunch break.

The two trees did not turn out quite like I wanted (I tried a different way than my usual technique to paint evergreens), and the fence is a little rough, but after a 2 day layoff, I'll take it.

The Fence On The Hill