"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them." This is a quote from one my favorite stories, The Little Prince. As artists, we are asked often, "Why did you paint that?" There is no way to answer that question. It is an image that inspires us, a fleeting thought, sometimes even a dream. This is a painting I did from a photo I took at a roundup in North Dakota. This little guy, a corgi, got too tired to walk back and hitched a ride with mom and her horse. Now the fact that I have corgi's might have a little something to do in my wanting to paint this, but the photo appealed to me and I couldn't wait to finish it! It was also the first painting I sold at my next show...funny how that happens, hmmm? We are asked alot of questions at shows, among the most common...how long did it take you to paint that? How do you answer that question? I just say, "a lifetime and 20 hours." Every moment you study to paint, look at a sunset, break down the colors in the shadows of a cottonwood...you are working on your next painting. So it is almost impossible to answer that question. Trust us that whether it took us 2 years or 2 hours, if you like it...it is worth every penny. For example, I have a painting that I have been working on for three years, I don't know if it will ever be finished. One of my most popular paintings to date only took me about 5 hours to paint. How can that be possible? If you figure it out, please let me know!
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