I've been feeling artistically blocked lately. Its odd, seemingly disproportionate, how a few words taken the wrong way can become a wall that shuts me out of doing art. The no-art-in-my-life sadness and dryness has been growing, and that is a good thing, because it leads to action.
Last night I took the first step in my rehabilitation by staying up past my bedtime to find beautiful pictures online.
The straight-forward prettiness and amazing workmanship in these watercolors by Victorian artist William Henry Hunt, sometimes called Bird's Nest Hunt and not to be confused with Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt, were comforting and uplifting. I found the painting above in the Leicester Gallery and the painting below on Wikimedia Commons.
I read in the Tate Gallery that Hunt took to painting these outdoorsy looking still-life pictures, which were actually set up in his studio, because as he grew older physical problems kept him from painting outdoor landscapes. The next painting is from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
I've been irresponsibly responsible lately, sticking so closely to the mundane necessities that even when time has opened up for art I haven't stepped into it because I've feared losing control of my tenuous ability to stay on task with the rest of my life. Its time to share more of those responsibilities with some perfectly capable kids I know.
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