Kevin Weckbach - curator

 There will be times when you ask yourself “Why should I paint?”. This question may come from many sources. It can come at a time when you have no influences. It can come at a time when you are stuck at a certain level of painting. It may come from comparing your own abilities to the abilities of painters you admire. There will always be artists you hold in high regard.

If I compare my works to those of my teacher Quang Ho or some great master like Sargent, I will likely become depressed. Comparing your work to those whose work you admire can leave you wondering “Do I have the magical ability needed to learn these skills?”. You will always find these types of questions to be a part of your process. They are hard to ignore. There is no magical ability that these artists posses. What we all need to remember is that even people like Quang and Sargent were struggling painters at some point. What these artists had was the ability to seek the right questions, and to work through their struggles even when it was hard

Assess your abilities honestly. Realistic goals based on your abilities will give you the thirst needed to learn and grow and without them you may become stuck. A goal can be as simple as learing how to mix color or draw. Setting goals is important but don’t expect to be as good as Rembrandt within a year. Start out by seeking what is good in the works of others and learn how to take those ideas and translate them into your own voice. Do not try to do as they do or you may loose that unique voice.

These goals that you have not yet touched are what give you the “reason to paint”.