"young dancer"

"young dancer"
32 x 32"
mixed media on canvas

when i was younger i was a little obsessed with degas. whenever i had to write a paper about an artist, it was almost always about him. i confess it was because he drew and painted ballerinas. i thought he was so lucky to be able to sit in ballet studios and just watch them dance all day long. i wondered what the ballerinas talked about and how they felt being drawn by him. i wondered if maybe degas wished he were a ballet dancer and never could be. like me. now i wonder if i ever have a daughter of my own would i take her to dance school and turn into one of those t.v. reality mom's on abby's ultimate dance. 

but now i want to have ballerinas dancing on my canvas. it makes me feel like i'm not missing out on that dream as much. 

i love starting these new paintings lately. i usually have a vague idea of what i want, but other than that the rest just happens. it's like setting an intention. you put it out into the world knowing what you want, but having absolutely no idea how it will happen. most importantly, trusting it will happen. that is exciting to me in the studio. it gives me a rush of adrenaline. maybe degas felt that when he walked into the dance studio.