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01-March-2018
Dear Yim,
It has been too long since I have last written, I cannot believe that time has flown by so fast. It seems the older I get the faster time goes. I sat down to write six months ago but did not finish. I got all excited to make a few videos for you of my drawings and paintings as well as with my studio. I shot the first videos but the results were not satisfactory so I had to get the proper camera mount and now finally I have a good videos. Well the first couple of times I made the videos they still were too fast and I had to re shoot them but now I think I have the hang of it.
My days have been filled with practice. I have been working hard to come to a greater understanding of drawing through copying your drawings as well as working from my best friend David, my cast. I now have quite a stack of drawings and feel that perhaps now I am ready to explore the charcoal. I think I will begin with the still life painting soon also. I have been working in my sketchbooks memorizing the forms of the body as well.
I have been painting a lot of the small landscapes in both oil and gouache. I have really come to love landscapes very much. When I see a great landscape it is like I have bitten into a perfectly seasoned dish that I wish so much to be able to make:) I have been painting larger landscapes also to practice larger paintings as well as an effort to make some money with them.
I break my day up into three blocks of three hours. I copy one of your drawings for three hours or draw the cast. I paint small landscapes for three hours. The last three hours I paint on something larger that is a multi-day project.
I have also been teaching drawing classes up at my local library. It is free to the students and a wide range come in. They all want to know how to draw better but then none of them practice at home. I have learned a lot about people and myself by teaching. I really never wanted to be a teacher, but I have developed some good friendships through it. This last two years I have really let go of the fear of being a starving artist. I embrace the work and the process and make a strong effort to see a little more clearly each day. I try to understand and chase after life to capture it and place it on the canvas or paper.
I still look at your drawings, pictures, or videos daily and I send you and your family love. I think back often fondly of my time in Taiwan and with all of the lovely people there. I think that I was blessed to be a part of such a family and it makes me feel very special. It is bitter sweet for me that I did not realize how special everyone was at the time because of my youth perhaps, but I cherish you and everyone I met.
I am very happy pursuing my calling to paint and draw. I remember when I first came and you said that it is a lonely journey. I can understand fully why you have said that, but I also take comfort in the fact that those things that I invest time in do truly return the love. I know that my little sketches, studies, and paintings shine my heart back at me. I also try to shine my heart toward you. I try to find the purity of the color, or the strength of the stroke and send you the joy that I feel because I feel a part of your family. I try to share a part of my heart.
Much Love,
Ray
