I like your paintings very much. I am one of your friends on Facebook althouh we’ve never met.

I am a big fan of the little rose garden. I go there to take pictures though, not to paint. I am new to painting … because of my own delays.. uncertain how to mix colors to get what I want…color theory doesn’t always work in action unless you know the properties of paint colors and how to use them. And I haven’t trusted my intuition in this medium yet except on rare occasion.

Anyway, I mainly use oil pastels. I wonder, sometimes,. how doing something that that feels like a hobby and just my own creation is service to humanity… I think of “service” as healing, ministry, yogi, etc. So to ask to be of service to humanity doesn’t seem to fit for me because I love my art work. My soul is coming through expressing and I know this.

Maybe underneath all this is a fear that if i ask that, Spirit will ask me not to do my art work and turn me in another direction. I must be willing. Or must I really be of service to humanity? I’ve been told that I’ve completed that route through other lifetimes. But how can one not want to be of service to humanity….

Pretty long ramble….
Nice work. Do you work in oil or acrylic?

Jamie,

Thank you for your kind words!

In my experience, it is easy to get lost in color theories (and many other art theories). It is good to have the knowledge. However, the more you practice and paint, the better you will know your materials. I refer to Ralph Mayer’s “The Artist’s Handbook” for technical information. It is a very dry and boring manual. But, highly informative. But, I learn more from drawing and painting. Everyday, if I can. When you paint, you have the subject, your vision, your tools, and paper/ canvas. Your painting is your boss! It will tell you what to do.

Have you read Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art”? It is my favorite book. When my doubts slow me down, I listen to the audio version of the book. One warning though: Steven Pressfield does not mince words: he tells you like it is! But, he will answer many of your questions.

Yes, I paint in oils and acrylics as well. I do more oils though than acrylics. You may check out my portfolio at: http://www.teshparekh.com

Please keep painting!

– Tesh