Fail Differently
Fail Better.
In my last offering to Substack, I was deliberate about doing “nothing.” I did “nothing” with the time normally devoted to making paintings. (My work week is broken up and strange, divided among three part-time jobs - two to pay the bills and one for me to make paintings.) Those days were relaxing and soothing. Quiet.
Christmas came and went. The new calendar year started. My wife and I traveled to the Denver area (Golden and Estes Park) for the Coors Western Art Show (still time left to see it). It was good.
But beneath my efforts to distance myself from work, lying still at the bottom of my skull, was a deadline, and that deadline was really, really close.
I have a life goal of becoming a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America. The path to do this is clearly laid out by the organization:
Option 1: Automatic Signature Status
Within an eight-year period a member must have exhibited in either (1) four national OPA shows; OR (2) three national OPA shows and three regional or salon shows. (Regional and salon shows must be within the last five years.) If these requirements are met Signature Member status will be conferred with no further evaluation.
Option 2: Committee Review
Over an indefinite period of time members must have exhibited in (1) three national OPA shows OR (2) two national OPA shows and three OPA regional or salon shows. A committee will give the final thumbs up or down, unlike option 1, which is automatic.
A quick glance at my show record (see them here) reveals that I was in National shows in 2019 and 2021.
I need one more National show by 2027 (I’d rather have two) to automatically qualify under Option 1 - no committee required.
Some people go their whole life and not get into one, so I have had some success, but it is very difficult to get into, as the art must pass a three-stage jury process. Tough.
So, I have this very important goal standing in front of me, and instead of taking my time in December to plan, design, and execute one really solid painting that might give me a fighting chance to get in,
I made a painting in two days. Lightning fast for me.
Not only that, but I chose a subject that I do not normally paint - wildlife.
It would be difficult if I chose a landscape, but wildlife?! All the anatomy, all the drawing that must be accurate…crazy. Impossible in two days.
Unless…
Here are two photos from the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Both are interesting to me.
Imagine trying to simplify the first picture. Imagine it as a conversation that you have to distill so that you can communicate it to someone else. What would that sound like? How would you tell someone what you saw and why you loved it? It would be a challenge. “There was this row of trees - well, not really a row but - some trees with black bottoms and white tops - aspens maybe? Birch? making an interesting arrangement…Anyway, it was really neat with the tan grasses coming in - and rocks…”
A poet could do it. With effort.
It is possible, of course, to simplify that picture with paint, but I would want more than two days to do it. I would want to get lost in the layers and subtlety.
Which is why I chose the bobcat. You can see a big, simple shape which makes everything solid and easier to organize. Starting at the bottom left of the rock, trace your way up the rock’s edge, around the cat’s tail, back, neck, ears, face, chest, and foot, and finish with the bottom right of the rock.
That is a big, simple shape. That is the key to doing things quickly.
Now imagine telling someone about that picture. “It was so awesome. This big bobcat was huddled down on its feet on top of a rock, looking across the snow-covered field...”
Much easier.
So,
I tried.
It went well. Could’ve been better, but I cannot get lost in comparing myself to those who have painted well for decades. I focused, I finished, and I submitted the following painting along with two others to the Oil Painters of America National Show. Only one can be selected and I don’t have high hopes, but even a little hope can stay within, down deep and quiet, for a long time. Hope is good even if it is a pain - that inconvenient but necessary thing we carry. I won’t know if any of my submissions are selected until March.
Fail differently.
I tried something different, and I tried a different speed. I am happy that I tried. I was happy that the long break helped me remember more important things so when the pressure was on, I just simplified and let all else go.
Fail better.
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