In his book, Mastery, Robert Greene writes that it takes 10.000 hours to achieve mastery in any one field. 
In painting, to reach the point where brushes become an extension of body and mind and applying paint as natural as breathing – I believe it takes that amount of dedication.
However, given that the journey of life is of greater importance than the final bow, great joy can be derived from the daily learning experience. We never quite know what insight or revelation is just around the corner, or beyond the initial steps.
Rapid watercolour vignette from The Art School, Olhao – http://www.artinthealgarve.com
I also believe that it is only when an artist marries technical prowess with the intangible that the real magic begins.
When we consider the following definitions of intangible: unable to be touched, not having physical presence, ethereal, spiritual, it’s easy to understand why this element of painting is often illusive.
I find that when I fully connect to my subject and literally feel inside of me that I become what I see….that I begin to touch on the intangible.
A Bientôt
I don’t know if there’s a specific amount of time or number of exercises till a person reaches mastery. Some people learn quicker than others. Some have natural talent that helps them in their progress. And different areas have different demands. It takes longer to be a master brain surgeon than it does to be an expert on driving a motor vehicle. But aside from that I agree with you completely… and being a master artist definitely includes the arms and fingers and brush being an extension of the vision in the brain. Just love your pictures, Janet.
I agree with you ShimonZ. Everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways. But it is interesting what this guy had to say.
Thank you, and yes I also found it to be very interesting.
You’re welcome.
Janet, I love your hummingbirds. They look very light and flitty (if that’s a word). I can feel them flitting around is what I mean! 🙂
Thank you so much for this lovely compliment. Janet:)
You’re welcome! 🙂
Good morning, Shimon and thank you for this excellent comment. Much appreciated.x
I can see that you’re firmly in touch with the unseeable, intangible realms in these beautiful paintings Janet, much love xx
Thank you very much, what a lovely comment:)x
Those humming birds are so beautiful!
Thank you so much:)
Janet, you are truly a master, particularly with watercolors. It’s also your ability to describe what you are doing that makes you a true master. I would love to be able to surround myself with your artwork. When i was a child i used to draw constantly, in my teens i took up painting. I was never very good (might have achieved mediocrity if my parents had allowed lessons, but i still wouldn’t have been very good). Unfortunately i was better at that than anything else! LOL 😀 Heaven help me when it came to sports… I’m just saying that i truly appreciate your skills and the beauty of your work. Hugs. 🙂
Thank you so much, Teagan for this lovely comment. It is never too late to pick up the brush, and watercolour is a perfect medium to play and experiment with. Much of what I say and write comes directly from the workshops that I have been giving for many years. By the way, I love walking, but was never that wonderful sports either:)x
Now that is interesting. In the old days here in NZ apprenticeships were for about 5 yrs or ten thousand hours.
And it was the same here in the UK…which is very interesting….We have forgotten so much, Peter!:)
Such exquisite brushwork and inspiring words. One of the great joys of life is the never-ending journey towards mastery.
Indeed….it’s what makes life so full of interest.
The way you capture the substantial and insubstantial is breathtaking, Janet, and clearly, now you’ve explained, OF the breath.
Thank you so much, Tish.
I guess once you have mastered the technique, creativity can take over and you might not feel so tied up to having to get it right. Beautiful as always.
Well put. This is so true…by mastering technique, we then have the freedom to create.
Beautiful images Janet, you mastered your art a long time ago….now you continue to capture the magic and mystery in all your subjects.xxx
Thank you so much…happy Tuesday.xxx
Beautiful paintings, that show your mastery – from simple lines to vibrant colors, to elegance with the dance of a painters brush. Your message is a wonderful example of why your art is on a totally different level. I’m willing to bet when you paint you experience what I call the runner’s high an “endorphin rush” – a sort of out of body experience.
Good morning Mary, and what a lovely comment to wake up to. You have hit on something which is very interesting.
Picasso once said that those artist who don’t self destruct by the age of forty often live long, healthy lives. He attributed this to the fact that if an artist is painting for several hours each day – they will have spent much of that time ‘out of their bodies’ – away from logic, time and all the other constraints that burden people,especially into day’s technological world.
When I get into my painting…this is what happens to me…Any discomforts I might have felt prior to painting are removed….i.e. pain, cold, hunger, tiredness, etc. and so yes, I do enter that blissful equivalent to an endorphin rush…..and out of body experience.
Have a wonderful day filled with creative observation. Janet:)
Stay tuned ~
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Delightful! 🙂
Thank you.