There seems
to be a misconception that art is a relaxing thing to do. I am
constantly getting comments to this effect,
and am amused and sometimes annoyed that this is many people's
impression of what I do. For I know it to be nothing even remotely
approaching relaxation.
I have played competitive sports, and know the same feelings of
getting psyched up, both mentally and physically, before a painting
as before a game. During the actual making of a painting,
concentration and coordination are heightened, vision is acutely
sharp. The eyes are known to use great amounts of calories, and
after painting for a few hours, I am ravenous. After a full day
painting, like many intense jobs, it is difficult to slow down
enough to get to sleep. One of the hardest things is to stop
thinking and visualizing about the work in progress.
Perhaps people associate painting with recreation, something you do
after you work, after you earn a living, something you fit into your
life when everything else important is done, and have some free,
relaxing time.
76. Rudolf Arnheim, Toward A Psychology of Art, (Berkeley and L.A.,
Cal., University of California Press,1966), p.178
