I am not talking about gazing deep into the eyes of a soulmate. I am talking about when I sell a piece I almost didn't offer for sale....

What do I mean? Sometimes a piece is just a little too weird. Crazy colors, a mundane subject, too abstract, it was too easy. The last one is a big one. I am pretty sure I am not alone when I doubt the value of a piece if it just kind of fell off the brush. Those magic moments when a painting “paints itself”. So cliché but so true. How can I defend such a ridiculous statement? Simple, I have tried to recreate some of these – and I CAN NOT. There was magic and alchemy involved.

But I should really trust the magic. I give up trying to guess what people will like and even more what people will buy. More than a few times people have latched on to a piece I almost didn't bother to bring! Maybe they watch as I flipped through paintings still in the box, or I decide to hang it 'just for me'.  They ask to have a closer look.  Then it reminds them of something or someplace, and it's sold.

Don't get me wrong I always like the piece, or it truly would have gone in the garbage. If I kept all my failed attempts I would run out of room for the new stuff. It's just a surprise and exciting that someone sees it the way I do.

The bottom line – someone got it. They saw the gem that it is. The one-of-a-kindness, the flow of the pigment, the magic that happened to create this very special piece. Or maybe it just matched their sofa. Either way, a piece of my heart is on its way to a new home.

I am a teaching artist, so I see my share of beginner mistakes. Knowing better and doing better are not the same thing, so I am not above executing my own cliches and faux pas. This week I am featuring – the lollipop tree. Yes, this is my painting... No, I did not do it on purpose so I could write about it.

Sometimes my hand seems to have a mind of its own. We are prone to making the kind of mark we are used to making. Habits are hard to break. Did you ever get a new hair style and within a week it looks the same that it always did? We revert back to old ways pretty quickly.

What do you keep doing that you wish you could stop?

If you are trying to do something different, good for you. Don't be too hard on yourself. We seem to think that learning is for children. Or perhaps learning and making mistakes to be more exact. I promise this is not the case. Professional athletes practice, professional musicians practice. Everyone wanting to improve must practice and thereby somethings fall short. Balls are fumbled, notes are missed, voices crack. It truly happens to everyone, so get yourself a lollipop and go ahead and paint another tree.

This Saturday you can find me at The Allegheny Fire Police Craft Show at 27 Crescent Street, Pittsburgh PA 15223 (Etna Ball field) for 10:00 – 3:00 If you are there, please stop by to say Hello.