Zero to something
I have been working on two architectural projects, and I can see many parallels between painting and architecture.
It is all about shapes. In the street elevations that I was working on, I could instantly see when something didn't feel right, didn't look right, seemed off-balance somehow. "Everything counts in large amounts" - one of my favorite song from ages ago, not only for the depth of meaning in its title - all that reading about composition, watercolor, shape arranging - must have led to something, a sharper sense of balance and what looks right.
It is harder to create from nothing than tweak something that is already there. A long time ago, when I would only read, and hadn't attempted writing, I was the best critic. I could really see what was wrong with this story, this chapter, this character. Of course, it is MUCH easier to critique than to write and create. Zero to something is HARD. Something to something more is much easier.
At the time when I felt I was a great self-proclaimed critic, I found that I could always imagine that I could have written it better - again going from where we already stood, from the story that already existed, someone's else's zero-to-something.
The new house that I am designing is infinitely harder (zero to something) than the house that I am adding to (something to something more).
What is the moral of this?
I think the moral is to really learn from each painting. Why does it work? Why doesn't it work? Be a brutal critic and extract all there is to learn for the next time. The painting is just a stepping stone.
This was done after a beautiful hike outside San Sebastian, Spain. A church perched on an island rock beckons hikers down a narrow and windy up-and-down trail which is ultimately a very rewarding experience with stunning views.
It is all about shapes. In the street elevations that I was working on, I could instantly see when something didn't feel right, didn't look right, seemed off-balance somehow. "Everything counts in large amounts" - one of my favorite song from ages ago, not only for the depth of meaning in its title - all that reading about composition, watercolor, shape arranging - must have led to something, a sharper sense of balance and what looks right.
It is harder to create from nothing than tweak something that is already there. A long time ago, when I would only read, and hadn't attempted writing, I was the best critic. I could really see what was wrong with this story, this chapter, this character. Of course, it is MUCH easier to critique than to write and create. Zero to something is HARD. Something to something more is much easier.
At the time when I felt I was a great self-proclaimed critic, I found that I could always imagine that I could have written it better - again going from where we already stood, from the story that already existed, someone's else's zero-to-something.
The new house that I am designing is infinitely harder (zero to something) than the house that I am adding to (something to something more).
What is the moral of this?
I think the moral is to really learn from each painting. Why does it work? Why doesn't it work? Be a brutal critic and extract all there is to learn for the next time. The painting is just a stepping stone.
This was done after a beautiful hike outside San Sebastian, Spain. A church perched on an island rock beckons hikers down a narrow and windy up-and-down trail which is ultimately a very rewarding experience with stunning views.
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