Early in my art education in a workshop we were told that we should not think about the next painting being our masterpiece. We were told to think the painting we were working on was to be our masterpiece. I think the more we paint and learn the more confidence we have in believing we can paint a masterpiece. I think that no matter how bad the beginning of a painting looks it can be our best work. It can be what we wanted to express. I have watched wonderful artists paint and they do not seem worried about what someone watching them thinks. To do that we must paint with confidence and joy.

I recently watched a known artist doing a portrait painting. At the beginning of the painting it did not look like much but gradually began to look beautiful. Close to the end of his painting I kept thinking the mouth does not look right. He waited until the end to put on his finishing touches and that included the mouth and the eyes. The person in the painting then came to life. The artist knew what he was doing and was not thinking about what everyone thought but was painting with confidence.

Continuing to learn and persevere is a confidence builder and Glorifies God that gave us the gift.