Painting a thing makes me see a thing in a very different way. I look at an object and it gets abbreviated, tagged and categorized. Memorable or not?  Familiar or not? Unusual?  Gross? Funny?

Painting and drawing realistically forces a more thorough examination.  Where are the highlights?  What shape is that really?  How is that thing textured?

So far, I’ve painted a vase, an orange, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a glass of milk, and a Totoro.

(The picture above has very different lighting than what I had when I actually painted)

I’ve learned that painting is hard;  Squinting is good for painting but hard on your eyes; And keep the paint brushes clean.

I’m sure I’ll be learning more.