Obsession is Good

Rouen Cathedral: Facade (Morning Effect)

Rouen Cathedral: Facade I

Rouen Cathedral: Facade (Grey andRose)


Rouen Cathedral: The West Portal, Dull Weather

I'm taking a painting class right now and am reminded that most great artists are obsessive. It's been a long time since I've done artwork purely for myself and, when I do create something, I feel like I have to cover a different subject every time. But, of course, that's not a very effective way to create beautiful images. Most artists seem to obsess over the same subjects for months, years or even their entire careers. Monet's Rouen Cathedral is my favorite example of this. Monet rented an apartment across from the cathedral and spent the better part of three years painting it as the lighting changed–reacting to different times of day, seasons and weather patterns. His 30+ finished paintings are all stunning and demonstrate clearly how different the exact same view of the exact same subject can be. 

As for my art class, I'm painting a paper clip... over and over again. I don't think I'll end up with anything as awe-inspiring as Monet's cathedral but I have already learned a lot about paperclips, paint, myself and the art of obsession. Cheers.