December 30th, 2008
I've been meaning to paint a few portraits of my friends in watercolors, but I admit to anxiety over the whole thing. It has been ten years since I did watercolors and I was afraid to even start. I'd discover I suck (or that it would take me years to get back to the level I was once at.) So I stalled. I wanted them to be great and if they weren't I'd get depressed. So I didn't paint and got depressed. Art can be a vicious cycle. No wonder Van Gogh took a ear off from painting.
I wanted to make my artist buddy Kerry something special (her nick name is Kerry Berry and she loves Pooh bear.) So I made a painting of her as Kerry Beary to show her I was worthy of painting and sketching with her talented self.
Before I showed it to Kerry I ask others what they thought of my first watercolor in a decade. They all wanted me to paint them as a cartoon too. Well that was a good sign that it wasn’t crap. I was surprised at how many people got into the goofy spirit of it all. It is also amazing how much they look like the cartoon they wanted me to use. The paintings capture their spirit. But then I knew everyone I loved was Loony Toons. Maybe Rembrandt isn't the greatest portrait painter. Maybe it was Chuck Jones all along. Art took a wrong turn at Albuquerque when it became too serious. Humor is a knife that cuts to the truth -- and makes snot come out of your nose.
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vincentblackwo- Vincent Blackwood