There comes a time in life when circumstances cause you to look back and evaluate what you’ve done. 

The first bout of COVID the country suffered through I was lucky to  have escaped health wise. If you read my blog, you know I was in New Mexico working and teaching at my gallery / studio.

At first, forced to return to California, I was very productive and produced a lot of new work. Forty new pieces to be exact.

But at Christmas last year I fell victim to COVID and it knocked me for a loop. In May this year I also turned 80 years young. I felt fine. I am in good health and have energy and my mental state is good and I kept working.

 I was noticing on the news people younger than I were dying and I started to think about age for the first time in my life. I never went through “ the stages” one is supposed to experience at thirty and forty. Fifty came and went as did sixty and seventy and I was active and productive with my painting.

For the first time in my life I stalled without any idea of what I wanted to paint next. I also thought maybe my best work was behind me. We all need a purpose. A goal to keep us moving forward. At least I do. I think this keeps me young. Stagnation kills.

I looked back at the last five years paintings and I realized I had changed. I liked what I had done and something in me changed.

I don’t know where ideas come from but I learned after many years, one cannot push creativity. There are times when the mind and body need a break and time for hyper activity.

I am teaching at the the gallery here and that is a great stimulation for ideas. 

I usually work in series. I will paint four or five or more works of a subject.  An idea came to me to paint all the famous Artists who influenced my painting life and have brought me to where I am. But I didn’t just want to paint them, I wanted to copy their portraits, in their style.

Long story short in the last thirty five days I have painted forty famous artists, in their style. I have posted them on my website.

Some were black and white photos and I added color. I am also teaching drawing and started using some of these artists’ for students to copy. To learn from. It has been a success; for me and my students. I draw or paint along with them and gain insights into how the work was created. I notice doing this has made me a better, more efficient artist. My work is cleaner, fresh, using less effort. My paint stokes are more efficient and direct. 

I have always suggested students copy the masters. If you are going to learn, who better to learn from than those who achieved greatness in their time.

Creativity can strike at any time for all of us. But we need to be open to try new things. 

The upshot of all this is people who have seen these artists copy portraits are now talking to me about commissioning work. 

Age is just a number. Creativity is eternal. Keep strong mentally and physically and stay active.