On Top of My Soapbox All Covered with Paint...

This is how I prefer to work: painting with brushes and paints outside where the light is great.

I've been working on a second art job for the last couple of days strictly in Illustrator requiring me to sit in front of a computer monitor for several hours at a time. I sit inside at my desk in the comfort of my home equipped with central air and a cushy chair. There are no messy paints, no palettes and brushes to clean at the end of the day. And I want to point out that I am grateful for the work I get to do so I don't create the wrong impression. Given the perks of working indoors on the computer you would think I'd be elated but the truth is I like the mess.

I like to get paint on my hands and clothes. I enjoy the experience of squeezing the paint from the tubes and mixing the colors with my palette knife to my satisfaction. The colors exist on the palette for the day and I will have to do my best to reproduce them again the next day. I like that.

Computers are great tools for artists. Maybe one day I might actually become somewhat computer literate. But I can envision the day when I step up to my monitor with my palette and brushes in hand to paint on it the right way.