A Long Hiatus

I started painting 20 years ago.  My teacher immediately encouraged me to paint often if I wanted to make progress.  As a Sunday morning painter I didn't get it.  As time passed and I got past the discouraging beginner's blahs I began to paint more and more.  Then after a few years I was up to 7 days a weak, vacations included, at least sketching, stretching, or reading if not painting.  After a few years of this intense activity my teacher actually gave me a complement!  So I took some time off.  A week or so.  After all, I had arrived.  Then I went back at it and to my surprise I couldn't seem to do anything well.  The worst decay was in my feel of the paint going on.  But drawing, seeing, coulour mixing and sense, composition and so on had all gone down the tubes.  My teacher smirked "I told you.  You have to start near the beginning again".  Great news, but he was right.

Temptation from The Studio Window

Big Snow at the Forks 2014

At this time I have been off the brush since an October painting trip to Algonquin Park.  Four months.  Since then I was diagnosed with cancer.  Treatments started in January.  Now I'm feeling good enough to want to start painting again.  I wonder what I'll find?  My teacher is helping me put together a plan of attack to try to avoid being discouraged.  Some pretty mundane activities to start, clean my brushes from October, tidy up the studio.  Then some simple palette paint playing.

I'll follow the come back attempt here.