Agree, Sarah! I think when things go wrong we all suffer a dip in confidence (which is shaky in many of us a lot of the time anyway). It is this lack of confidence that makes the next work tentative and likely to suffer from errors of judgement and so it goes on - catch 22. I have contemplated only painting after I have had a drink or several, but as I don't usually drink at all, I think it might be a recipe for further disaster. I think you just have to pick yourself up and try again but I do shudder until I get the first line or brushstroke down on the paper just in case I am going to crash and burn again. When it looks ok, I love the world!

Hi Thea, whoever said art was a relaxation needs their head examined. Art is the most annoying, stress making, aggravating pursuit that I do but I could never give it up!!! Charles Reid was right when he said <treat each painting as your first > because all the knowledge that you pick up along the way adds to the tightening of our style and our train of thought. Golden triangles, complimentary colours, and the like, just become those little imps on our backs that holler in our ear holes all the time , making us question each brush mark that we take. ..... But , then again it's all part of the learning process . I find that I have plateau stages for months on end. No matter what I do I find that I cannot progress, but then , after a while (at least a couple of months) ,I find that I have broken through yet one more barrier and am rareing to go again. Until the next barrier and.....the next barrier .....ad infinitum.. As they say, the best bit is the journey there! Not quite sure that I agree as I haven't passed the finishing post yet!!! Take care x

Sorry I can't offer any words of advice as my feelings are identical Thea ! Happy productivity and gloomy idleness......

Ah, Jennifer - the boxes, I remember them well. Before three moves we made, we went into a rented house before we found a new house and a lot of our stuff had to go into storage. In all three cases, we didn't get into our new houses for approaching a year and when the boxes finally came out of storage, it was like Christmas as we kept discovering things we had forgotten we had. I even told the removal men that a footstool they brought into the new house wasn't mine as I had totally forgotten we owned it! We built our current house ourselves and hoped that it would be our final home, but we are being blighted by the neighbours from hell (or rather the father of the neighbour's from hell) and we are beginning to think the only solution is going to be to move. Sad, but I don't think I can't live like this for much longer as I am finding the stress of it all too much. Anyway, take your time and get organised and then you can get down to some painting again. I find you need a degree of peace of mind to concentrate and that is difficult if the house is in an uproar.

Thank you for your good wishes in my new home Thea. That was very thoughtful of you. I'm buried under boxes, but can see the light at last. Cannot paint for a while, but its good to look at the gallery meantime.x

Robert, although I wouldn't wish the misery of failed paintings on anyone, it is comforting to know that I am not alone with this depressing situation. As you say, watercolour is the most unforgiving of mediums and it really keeps you on your toes. One false move and all can be lost, so sitting down to do a watercolour has you on your back foot right from the outset. Perhaps watercolourists are all masochists? We could just as easily paint in oils, acrylics, pastels, etc and avoid the tricky capriciousness of the watercolour medium, but no - we stick to doggedly to it, hoping perhaps that once day it will be come easy. Dream on I think........

P.S. David - it is always a pleasure to comment on your work as I find it very innovative and exciting - lovely to have work like that on display on the gallery.

There are just days when nothing goes right - more likely to occur in my case if I've taken a break from painting even for a few days, and more likely to occur with watercolour than with anything else. You have to be in the right frame of mind, and if you are you're more likely to choose the right colours, the right brushes, even to choose the right paper. If one of those things goes wrong, you have a problem; if two of them go wrong, you have a disaster. I speak with feeling, having had to abandon three watercolours over the last week: fortunately, I seem to be getting back on top of the problem now..... but let us not offer hostages to fortune....

Good advice David. My problem is that I rarely have a plan and kind of fly by the seat of my pants. Or even when I do have a plan or idea the painting often just takes over and I end up being taken in a completely different direction. It that good practice or is it just being too scatty about it all - I don't know. I tend to be far too tentative when I paint and I keep trying to work towards being a lot more gung ho but I'm not an energetic painter like many people I admire. I do tend to paint in shortish bursts - no more than about 45 minutes and then I get up and walk away for a bit or even a day or so. I do this to try and avoid becoming too predictable and repetitive. I find that once you start you can get into a groove and stay there and miss out on a chance to add some surprise. I think I just want to be more consistent, but I suppose each different subject poses new challenges and in some respect, you go back to square one at the start of each painting. I remember Charles Reid saying to me that he starts every painting as if he has never painted before. I think he was trying to say not to let knowledge get in the way of one's artistic instincts. Good advice, but I am having trouble putting it into practice.

Hi Dennis - yes, I agree that it is more like a battle than a relaxing jaunt. Talk about tortured artists, eh! When a painting is going well, I am walking on air, but the downside of that is that it can all come crashing down in an instant - one wrong judgement and it all falls apart. I never like any of my paintings immediately after I have finished them and it is usually only when I have put them away for a week or so and then I get them out again, that I suddenly think 'that's not too bad actually'. I am like you - it is the construction and execution of a painting which appeals most to me and I love the process (but only when it is going well!). It is a pleasure to comment on your paintings as I really enjoy seeing every one of them. Thank you also for taking the time to look at what I produce and for your encouragement. Also much appreciated.

Hi Thea This is the ultimate question when one sits infront of a blank canvas and freezes.The resolve of artistic practise does waver.and anyone ploughing through their work ,one after the other should be wary. My advice is have a plan and strategy to create work and stick to it.Certain rules of composition and painting are around for a reason ,so unless your the ultimate artistic deva stick to them. Finally a bit of restraint when working,All sorts of forces are at work when painting -try not to paint as if you trying to break through the canvas. Looking at pictures which appear as if someone has mixed some cement on the surface can get tiresome. (Thankyou for your encouraging comments in the gallery Thea-always appreciated.)David

Hi Thea I know how you feel about painting I get it when I feel I need to give up , I just cant do anything then suddenly I hit a winner and im sailing again . When I tell people I paint for pleasure , they always say it must be so relaxing ,but its more like a battle to me . But I absolutely love it and the truth is its the journey taken working on the painting because once they are done I don't really look at them much I don't know if you do . any way Thea its lovely talking to you and many thanks for taking time to comment on my paintings its very much appreciated .