Many artists tend to focus on size vs. the quality of a painting. Are we buying or creating art just to fill a space, or is it a quality, energetic, and poetic painting? Always strive for quality and not size. You can go bigger if you want, but this is something you have to work up to.

To pull off a large painting that has energy and looks poetic is not an easy feat. Some people look at size first even if it’s a bad painting. I would rather see a small, beautiful painting. The big key here is to paint from life to get that energy back into your paintings. If you are taking a big canvas out and painting it in one session, you have to have a lot of years under your belt. Even then, it’s going to take multiple days to do. Sure, you can bring the canvas back each day, but still try to focus on quality when painting in the field or studio. If you are feeling overwhelmed by a large canvas, you probably won’t have a good-quality painting. You will feel pressured just to finish.

If you can pull off a large painting, that is great! But generally, many of my readers are students and still learning. I mean, we are ultimately always learning as artists. But, if you are still in the phase where you are getting comfortable with the medium and painting from life, don’t put the pressure of a large canvas on yourself. Focus on creating multiple, small paintings that have the quality and poetry that people can feel and see!

If you’d like to learn alongside me, join me through my video downloads, river rock downloads, free webinar, or podcast.