Lisa, first of all, thank you so much for your comments - coming from a great pastellist like you, it means a lot! Jimmie is right. If you can do work - like "Lots 'o' Locks" - of
that caliber - in two hours!!... don't knock it. What a gift! I still don't believe it (you are either lying, or exaggerating, or you are a freak of nature). So, really, speed is your friend. Or maybe, what you are really saying is that you are "on" speed when you do these pieces....hmmm....ok., now I'm starting to get it.
Yeah
Jimmie, I think it's totally natural to stress out while figuring out a new medium. But it's true, I don't stress as much as I used to. I think part of that comes from teaching and seeing students get so wound up over a project they've barely begun. They've got three lines on their page and they're ready to tear it up "'cause it doesn't look good." That's an extreme example, of course, but I think we're all prone to moments like that, and I can recognize that tendency in myself. The frustration is all about doubt, isn't it? If we could only see the end of things, we'd relax quite a bit and let it all unfold - as it surely will. With every piece I do there is some struggle - the only thing I've ever done that was virtually stress-free was "
'Abdu'l-Baha profile." I knew exactly what I wanted from the beginning and it was like following a script. It was great! Working with pastels is nothing like that, yet - maybe someday!
But my God Jimmie! You have nothing to worry about. Your work is
so outstanding - if stress and pain is an invariable part of your process, if frustration is the "grist" for your "mill"...then just slather it on, brother, 'cause then pain is
truly your friend!!
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