Real painters paint

I get nervous when I read platitudes on
what "real" painters do. But what are the
rules? There's only one truth we know for sure
about painters -- they paint. Other than that
I think how they paint, what they paint, when they paint,
what their studios look like will be as different
as the colours of birds are from region to region.

What's so cool about this blogging artist community
is that we can learn what other painters are doing,
and change the parts of our process that we aren't
satisfied with. But we can't lay down laws for one
another.

It amused me so much at a famous watercolour
painter's workshop when the people in the class
kept changing the water in the master's giant
water tin can. He'd be right in the middle of
dipping his brush during a demo and a woman
would dart in and take that dirty water away
again to change it. The artist was oblivious except
for the fact that the water had disappeared,
and then he'd laugh.

Turns out "real" painters in his books don't change
their watercolour water every five minutes, and
maybe not every day. Were his watercolours clean,
majestic, pure in colour, beloved by everyone? --
yes.

My standard for real painting, is someone who
paints. Sure some people are more amateur
than others, but watch out. I've seen students
zoom ahead of their teachers in less than a year.
Another rule shot.

One of my friends frequently repeats this maxim,
and I think it applies nicely to rules: Take the best,
leave the rest.

Kitchen study
acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
(the blues in the photo read as the same,
but they aren't. But seeing the image
I see that I need to change that.)

I am working on a little painting, I showed you
awhile ago. I'm not quite done, but I might
change the things that need it tomorrow.

Have a guess-who-rules?-I-do day.