Willie Nelson and Zen

Willie Nelson, oil on arches oil paper
Reference photo off google.

"I take it not only one day at a time, but one moment at a time, and keep at that pace. If you can be happy right now, then you'll always be happy, because it's always in the now."                                                                                                                                           -Willie Nelson

If I contemplate Willie's quote above in relation to my art, I'd say it's exactly where I want to be.  It is easy to get lost in thoughts of where my art is going, selling, and pleasing to the point where it is a barrier in itself to actually creating.  But these days, taking it slow is where I find time to make art for enjoyment.  

Process

Initial drawing with thinned down oil (I use gamblin gamsol and mixture of mostly Umber for its drying speed).  Once I was happy with facial feature proportions and placement, I went in with color, making adjustments to my underpainting as needed.

Watercolor Studies

I had been wanting to paint this portrait for a while.  But as with many oil paintings for me, starting is the hardest part.  Such a commitment to mix paints and the rest of the set up, and then the clean up...  With small children it's tough to find and carve out that time.  Having watercolor around helps me get that itch before committing to the real plan.  It also lets me get to know the subject, practice makes perfect.  

Back to Willie's quote, I will say with this painting and others, I have been modifying my oil process, materials, and most importantly, clean up, to give me the feeling that I can be spontaneous with my oil painting.  I am learning to let go of unused paint.  If I mix paint and something comes up, so be it.  If the moment permits and I want to paint in oil, I'm going to go ahead without worrying about interruptions that haven't happened and which, in the end are inevitable anyway.  Being in the moment with not just art but with life and family, allows me to be happy with anything.  And in the end makes me a better painter, as I am constantly calculating my color values and brush strokes.

Perhaps another post sometime in the future about materials and process.

Below is the song that inspired me to paint Willie.  "Just Breathe", original by Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder, covered by Willie and Luke Nelson.  Can't get any more zen than just breathing.  The father-son theme here, really struck a chord.

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