Competition

There should be a competition of sorts playing out in my small town arts community but I am at a loss as to the rules of engagement. The arena I've chosen to compete in is different than most - my primary focus is on drawing and painting . I have great admiration for anyone who puts paint to canvas and over the years have been mindful of not criticizing their efforts. But apparently for most local artists wrangling over sales and status is the main event, actual painting comes in at best a distant third.

Reclining Nude, oil on canvas, 14" X 17", 2011

I find myself standing, brush in hand, in a nearly empty coliseum. There is a great deal of noise and commotion coming from a packed arena right next door. The visual arts should offer a clear and graphic scoreboard tracking ones relative progress. It is through an exchange of ideas and techniques that we get better but too little of that is in play. I have no desire to defeat any fellow painters but I wouldn't mind sharpening my game with an occasional combatant.