Blog 15 What is a painting? What is art?

By now you know "How to sit in the chair".  That means we have covered tricks to:
      Arrange the furniture
      Wrap your pen hand
      Keep Track of your brushes
      Learn from an Artist Workshop (Karen Sperling)
      Save your brush DETAILS
      Archive intermediate versions of your work
      How large to make your file; use the same file size over and over
      Art programs and plugins that work well together
      How to make a sunburst
      How to paint rockwork (its all about the mortar)
      Be open to the idea of NOT apply paint strokes to a painting...just get the message across.

 So "what IS a painting?" "Have you transformed your photo into a painting?" Here are some things I have "heard" and my take on them:
 1 "Photo Painting produces artworks that are unoriginal and technical".
      (False:  A painting, Photo, or photopainted artwork must never BE unoriginal or mechanical. Try harder!)
 2  "Only a traditional painter can choose which elements to exaggerate...which elements excite".
       (False: The computer blows THAT one out of the water)
 3  "A Painting is pushing imagery around the canvas; a photo is pushing light around and must be done ONLY in the head"
       (False:  These days, both mediums do both)
 4   "Painters AND photographers make bust after bust...and only occassionally a BOOM!
       (Point: Don't be too hard on yourself)
 5  "Painting, making a Photo, or Photo painting  comingles equipment, technical prowess, patience, endurance and the vision of the times." (I say" Here here!!)Sooooooo  If you love it, just do it!