Wild Oats

Remember the 1991 Gatorade commercial "Be Like Mike" starring the one and only Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Air Jordan, as he came to be called, has few peers on the summit of professional sports. He is the epitome of excellence and greatness. A greatness worthy of being emulated if only somewhat successfully.

Remember that other less famous commercial "Be Like Walter" starring the one and only Walter Hubert of the world famous group of artists you might never have heard of who are inspiring art peasants like me to strive for greatness.

Walter Hubert makes painting look both fun and easy. But learning how to paint like him  is neither fun nor easy. It's like walking on a high wire holding a baby with no net. What he makes look easy is actually quite difficult to pull off with the same calculated sophistication and balanced nuances that he routinely makes jump of the canvas with bold vitality.

I want to be like Walter! At least for this one painting called "Wild Oats". I took several motifs and painterly techniques from Mr. Hubert's work and tried to combine them into a painting that tries very hard to be unapologetically like his paintings.  He's worth emulating, even if everyone can tell I'm trying to be like someone I'm not.

I learned a great deal from painting like Walter.  I let it all go and just went with it. My only complaint is...I have no idea if I'm done with it or not. When do you know if you're done sowing your wild oats?