Day 47: Looking Upstream, Winter on the Arno

Day 47: Looking Upstream, Winter on the Arno

Standing on the banks of the Arno outside of Florence with no one around, just the sound of the water rushing by, I loved this moment. Today I realized that these are the moments that I paint for, I mean what makes me want to paint or even care to give it my all or to try and get better, these moments of silence. As a result I also realized that staying in my house to paint just because it’s cold doesn’t inspire me (and it probably doesn’t inspire you either)!I was thinking about the project today and thinking what an opportunity it is to push myself each day to make my best painting and more importantly to share my work with you. Maybe I haven’t been so present to this opportunity since I came to Florence. I think I’ve been worried about having to paint the scenes that I have in my mind that everyone wants to see and will recognize as Florence. I haven’t been painting those because many times they honestly just don’t inspire me. Florence is beautiful to walk around and ride your bike in, to hang out and eat ice cream, drink wine and listen to music, goof off with your friends in the piazza in the evenings. But I’ve spent endless hours walking around looking for that scene that I want to paint with no luck. And sometimes I do find it, I mean in the last 5 years of living here I have made paintings around Florence that I love and that I think capture a moment in the city, but many times I find inspiration elsewhere in unpredictable places.I guess the point here is that today I found this spot and it really inspired me, it made me love painting again and I want to find that more days than not. In the end I see that every day is just part of the journey: weather I be inspired or uninsired, make a good paitning or a lousy one, it’s just all part of the process. So thank you for coming along for the ride!To buy this painting for $100 click here. To view this and other paintings from the 100 day project click hereAll paintings cost $100 (+ $15 shipping), are unframed, measure 6×8″ and are painted on birch.I would love for you to share the project with someone you think would enjoy it. They can either subscribe to receive the daily E Newsletter here or they can follow the project on the Blog or join the 100 Paintings Facebook GroupAs always you can just write to me to tell me your thoughts, comments, introduce yourself, etc. about the project at kellyaskey@yahoo.comThanks for your interest in my project!