Being a studio painter is generally solitary work. You may be fortunate to have the support of a family, a spouse or a team of professionals representing you, but success comes from going to a studio alone and making good art. When I talk to artists beginning a path of growth I often tell them to above all regard each piece as a learning tool. Each result, good or bad informs the next piece and only through many successes and failures do you raise your game. After 45 years of practice I still fail weekly or even daily, yet I”ve never been discouraged to stop. My hope is always the same - that the next painting will be the best I’ve ever done. That goal allows me to grow as well as give me the courage to show up each day.