"Two Tomatillos" 10" x 8" oil on hardwood panel--
a piece from awhile back I initially wasn't sure about ; but it has grown on me a little.Apologies to my regular readers--I was looking forward to having several plein air paintings from Sacramento to post this week. Thought I might be back in action by today; but in addition to still being very sick myself, I have had to care for my son, who has had the same thing for nearly two weeks and had a high fever again yesterday. Supposedly this is not H1N1, but I can't imagine swine flu being any worse.
I have a good friend who often resents family responsibilities that interfere with painting. We both have noted with some envy that most successful painters are men or childless women who can pursue their work less encumbered (though I do not envy those who bear the burden of supporting a wife and children on an exclusively art-generated income.) Since my friend and I both had children later in life, and we each had one with unexpected health problems, the time they required was often greater, and the time remaining when they are gone will be shorter. But we signed up for this, and I no longer have a problem putting family first. Some may view this critically as "an excuse." To them I say, "whatever."
In the inaugural issue of
Plein Air Magazine , an article about Edgar Payne says:
"Evelyn Payne Hatcher said said that the last words her father spoke to her on his last day of life were that 'he was sorry that everything had been for his art.' She said it was very meaningful to her that 'he realized it in his last days,' and that he appreciated the dedication and sacrifices Evelyn and her mother had made so he could fulfill his lifelong desire to paint." While I certainly don't deny Payne's contributions as a painter, on a personal level, this seems a pretty mixed epitaph.