Of course, overlooking Stratton is the last thing I can do in my walking life, but at the top of Stratton I can look over it facing north. Strange word 'overlook' which also defines its opposite. Staying in the studio has its benefits, where I worked on a familiar view previously painted, drawn, and photographed. I did try to get out three times today, but seem to provoke the rain every time. The above is a 12x24 oil on canvas.
Lately, I have been reading the poetry of Derek Walcott. In a biography by Bruce King, Derek Walcott: A Caribbean Life, King writes in relation to Walcott, who always wanted to be a better painter than he is a poet, "Painting was about painting, not story, not morals. Amateurs were concerned with subjects. Good painters were concerned with making, with workmanship." This comment certainly applies to Walcott the excellent poet. But it also reflects the confusion many people have about painting. I'm happy to see that the difference between amateur and professional painters is not tied to money.
