Horse Feathers!

5:05 AM

"You know what you get when you beat a horse, not just to death, but beyond recognition?" she asked. "Horse feathers!"


You know what you get when you paint a painting beyond recognition?! 

Overworked and muddy or said another way, "Horse feathers!!" (Loose translation of horse feathers is rubbish or nonsense.) It may not appear overworked or muddy in the scan, but yeah, it is. Rather humbling, too. I haven't made mud like that in a looooong time!

However, I have learned much (mostly how NOT to paint trees, and sometimes that's how we get to what we want. Edison failed over 10,000 times before he created a light bulb that worked!)

 I had fun and I enjoyed the process.  

I will try again. 

I will capture that elusive light in a sketch. 

Soon. 

You Might Also Like

10 Creative Thought(s)

  1. I hadn't heard that saying in a long time. Horse Feathers brings a funny sight to my mind. I am great at making mud. ;) Light is difficult to capture on paper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is one of the things I like about you Laure. You are not afraid to show what you determine to be goofs. We all learn this way and i know it encourages your students that this is how we learn. You are a beautiful watercolorists.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are right, I don't see the mud but maybe that's because I am so good at making more mud that yours doesn't look like it to me, lol. You are having fun with the sketchbook though and that counts on the plus side!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are NOT great at making mud, Lisa! I've seen your work!

    Eep! Thanks, Toni. I'm not sure afraid is the right word. I admit to being hesitant to put less than wonderful work out here. However, I do believe if we're not making mistakes, we're not growing. I also think sometimes, students and others who aspire to a certain level of skill think some us were born with a brush in our hands. That's a disservice. It's taken years of steady work with plenty of goofs along the way!

    Ah, Timaree, you're telling tales!! You are NOT a mud maker!

    ReplyDelete
  5. But, it looks so good! Really! Okay, probably not that good in real life, but here in my computer, it really looks good!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks lovely to me. I know what you mean about making mud. I did that on a painting I am working on. Had to let it dry for a few days since its oil, but I can go over it and no mud will show. but I am envious of your watercolor skills. This taking days to dry is frustrating.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ...girl, I do not see the mud. I see airy, autumn-colored cotton candy trees--flaming in color!! But...I see mud all the time in my stuff. Nice to know you see it in yours too. It gives me hope...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank, Kelly, all the same, it's muddy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do 'mud' so much better than you! I accept that this is a scan but it's still stunning.
    PS - I'm so glad you have problems sometimes too. x

    ReplyDelete

Let's talk!

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images

Subscribe