Last Light

This was one of my very first acrylic paintings, completed my sophomore year of high school. I call it “Last Light.” This scene does not exist in real life; I was painting from imagination. I didn’t really know what I was doing (I still don’t), but since then I’ve been painting a lot of crashing waves and sunsets. “Last Light” was painted on a simple sheet of 8.5×11 printer paper. I have since learned that printer paper is not ideal for acrylics!

When I first showed up at college I planned on being an art major. Anyone could be an art major if they wanted, but it was recommended to meet with an art professor to discuss the program. And so I did, with a CD of a few of my paintings including this one. The professor took one look at it and said, “It would be better without the lighthouse.” He made a little tiny square with his fingers and put it over the painting, suggesting that I could have made a more meaningful work by only using a fraction of the scene.

I walked out of his office feeling both defeated and defiant. I decided then and there to drop the art major and focus on music – a decision I do not regret! I didn’t need anyone telling me how I should paint. Painting wide expanses with magnificent skies and detailed foregrounds is just what I do. Someone else may prefer that I paint only one rock or splash of water, but that would not make me happy.

I went on to study music but certainly did not give up painting. I took a few art classes for fun, quickly learning that it is very difficult to please college art professors. The lowest final grade I have ever received in my life was in watercolor painting. The girl whose desk was next to mine dumped coffee on watercolor paper for her final project, and I’m pretty sure she ended up with a better grade than my detailed landscapes.

Painting for me has always been a learning process. Most of my originals are thick with layers upon layers of paint – not because I was after a textured look, but because I messed up so many times and needed to start over. Despite these struggles, I keep picking up the paintbrush because I am doing what I love.