ALLA PRIMA Everything I Know About Painting of richard schmid

" Whether you are a professional, a student, or you paint just for enjoyment, you ought to be serious about it, at least while you are painting. ALWAYS give it your best shot. Have a warm respect for your art and cherish your affection for it. Never demean your efforts because you think you’re not in a class with Rembrandt. Paint the things you passionately respond to, and use any means necessary to make your work come out the way you intend. (That’s what Rembrandt did.) Like other painters, I sometimes shudder when I see my early work, but I was trying my best at the time. Today I am certainly aware of the shortfalls in my current paintings. (Shortfalls is hogwash for outright bungling.) 1 remind myself, however, that if I got it right every time, there would be little sense of accomplishment.

What could be more wonderful than the life of a painter? Beyond the usual necessities of life, we live out our days needing nothing more than a box of paints, some brushes, and something to paint on. We have no boss, employees, or financial backers. We don’t require a performance hall, a publisher, a film studio, a foundry, or for that matter, even a gallery. All we really need is a continual passion for what we are doing, and a reasonable amount of evidence along the way that we are accomplishing something worthwhile. For most of us, that means at least painting skillfully enough to have satisfying results, perhaps even achieving a level of virtuosity."