Slow Art

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Sunset at Etretat George Inness

“Again and again I’ve taken quick glances and then for some reason I’ve got to sit before a picture waiting and it’s opened up like one of those Japanese flowers that you put into water and something I thought wasn’t worth more than a casual, respectful glance begins to open up depth after depth of meaning.”
- Sister Wendy Beckett

Sister Wendy has described the ultimate purpose of art—an unfolding of understanding and depth of meaning. Some paintings and sculptures have this power built into them and some do not. Some artists are able to create immediate excitement in their work, while others work to instill deeper feeling which takes time to appreciate. Our greatest satisfactions in our own art have always come from those works to which we gave our time generously. This is not difficult to do in the controlled studio environment. Painting outdoors, however, puts …