OT - My new hobby ...

John, Avi just does not get it.............. Your paintings are an inspiration to all of us, please keep them coming, despite Avi's rude interjections .

Cheers
Nan

JohnBFisher wrote:Today's painting is not any sort of masterpiece. In fact, I might normally have trashed it due to problems I had when painting it. But I decided to "stick with it" and try to rescue the painting. The result was a bit of a "happy accident".

Your "happy accident" as it turns out is my favorite so far -- you just never know. It is, as you say, a matter of perspective.

I have a website for my therapy practice. In the header of my site I have an image of a painting by watercolor artist Sara Steele which I've loved. If I was going to redo my website and could use any new image I wanted to, the one I would choose would be this one John. It's the simplicity, and the water, and the soothing feeling it has. So you just never know, a happy accident to you can be a masterpiece in someone else's eyes and for reasons you might not have thought about.

kaiasgram wrote:... Your "happy accident" as it turns out is my favorite so far ... It's the simplicity, and the water, and the soothing feeling it has. ...

Now that's just cool! Thank you for letting me know, since I was actually hoping to capture that sense of calm that I find in gardens that have lily pad ponds. That sense of calm is part of why you will see me gravitate toward oriental gardens. Glad you enjoy it. I hope to redo this painting to make correct some of the mistakes and make it presentable. Thank you for taking the time to share your view. It helps me see what you see in that painting, which helps me learn. Thanks!

Gone with the wind.

John,

I am in awe of all your paintings. They are breathtaking.

49er

Don't belong

Well, my last painting got me thinking about lily pads and ... dragonflies! .. Yup. I started a new painting. And while doing my research, I found a wonderful video to demonstrate how to paint a dragonfly by Judy Bergsma.

avi123 wrote:So John are you interested to hear comments from all of us without bullies remarks from north of the border?

AVI, I'm always interested in what Nan Wilson has to say. Remember, you are in the southern part of the US and you should use good manners when dealing with a lady!!

avi123 wrote:So John are you interested to hear comments from all of us without bullies remarks from north of the border?

I think you had better look at your own behavior before you start calling other people bullies, if you are able to do that.

All are nice:

John, I love your "happy accident" too! I keep going back to gaze at it many times. You don't have to respond if you'd rather not, but I was wondering what positive impact your beautiful painting has had on your medical issues?

DoriC wrote:John, I love your "happy accident" too! I keep going back to gaze at it many times. You don't have to respond if you'd rather not, but I was wondering what positive impact your beautiful painting has had on your medical issues?

I don't mind sharing. I'm neither embarrassed about it, nor do I hunt for sympathy. I am fighting a problem with my body. It's as simple as that.

Whatever is going on with me ... my doctors are not 100% certain .. instead my diagnosis is just a fancy name for what's wrong .. not an understanding of the underlying cause ... Anyway, whatever is wrong is progressive. I fell twice in the shower today. I never used to do that. But all I have to do is close my eyes and I'm slap dash up against a wall. Only poor balance left. When I'm out, my dog is my service dog that helps me with mobility issues. Unfortunately, whatever is wrong also impacts my hands and small motor control. I feel as if I'm wearing gloves trying to use my hands. Not really a loss of sensation, though I do have plenty of peripheral neuropathy.

But the good news for me is that the constant work on fine motor control skills helps me retain my abilities as long as possible. It's exhausting to do a painting. I have to concentrate very hard. I have to stay focused. And I am constantly learning new skills. But I refuse to just "let it happen" to me. I choose to positively fight back. And it does help. When I don't paint for a few days I can feel it. My hands are far more clumsy and I tend to drop things more.

So, while it's not any sort of cure, it does help me fight in a very positive manner.

John you have fought through so many hardships, we are so confident that you will conquer this one too. The doctors will come up with a diagnosis and you will be on the way to being treated, in the mean time persevere, and you will win my friend.
Cheers
Nan

nanwilson wrote:... we are so confident that you will conquer this one too. ... you will win my friend. ...

Thank you, Nan! But as I said, I'm not hunting for sympathy. I'm much more likely to die due to other issues than this, since it seems to be so very slow progressing. But the reality is that if it advances fairly quickly the loss of neurons in the brain stem can be pretty devastating. That's the reality and it does happen.

As my blog notes "FisherFindings" is about "learning perspective". While I might not conquer my physical situation, I can conquer it with my spirit. I refuse to allow this to define me. It may restrict me - for example, I no longer drive - but it does not define me. And that's part of the idea of "learning perspective". It's a wonderful play on words, since it applies just as much to the art as it does to my own life.

JohnBFisher wrote:whatever is wrong also impacts my hands and small motor control.

I look at your paintings, and I read what you wrote above, and I've got tears in my eyes -- it's not about sympathy, John. It's about hope and inspiration. Thank you for sharing your story and your beautiful work.