J.R. Secor, Painter of Southwest Visions: August

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

August

New Mexico Colors

9" by 12"

Heavy Watercolor Paper

Hi Everyone!

Well, Labor Day is upon us. I have to say that I am very tired of COVID still being an issue, and it's weighing me down! It's not like I want to go out and party, but I would like to be able to go out to breakfast!

I painted a lot in August, but I think I have to start to slow down because my Parkinson's seems to be progressing. I tire very easily now when painting, but the worst part is that my concentration is not as good as it was. Each painting becomes a longer journey than the last, requiring more concentration, and it's the concentration that makes me tired, not the physical effort.

I am lucky though, that my hands do not shake much. I paint with my right hand and my thumb twitches and sometimes the hand shakes, but never when I am painting! I think that has to be because painting is a happy thing for me, and that affects my neurological system. It's like when I do what makes me happy, my body forgets to be sick!

So it's a Catch-22, kind of, because painting makes me happy, but it also makes me tired! So, I'll be cutting down to 2 painting days a week from 5, and we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I continue trying new techniques, and am back to using the palette knife. I watch several artists who have good videos on YouTube - I could watch them paint all day!

That brings to mind the question, "What is an artist?" I found this quote that sums it up nicely:

Below are some of my August paintings. As ever, thanks for stopping by. I'm still in the mode of "If you see something you like, make me an offer," as far as pricing and selling goes. You can email me or contact Melissa through Facebook.

Take care, my friends. Stay safe and enjoy life.

JR Secor