I Will Never Learn.

Recently I asked my friend Dennis (a realist painter) if he thought it was better to be married to an artist or a non-artist. He thought, better to be married to a non-artist, so there wouldn't be any competition.

I've lived for decades with a man whose background is scientific, and every time I get excited about a painting I'm working on, I ask him what he thinks of it. I WILL NEVER LEARN. Inevitably, he shrugs off some kind of comment like, "I dunno, it just doesn't interest me." What I want to hear— what all of us artist spouses want to hear— is some variation of: "Honey, it's amazing! You are so talented!"

I had high hopes for entering this painting in an upcoming competition, but now I'm wondering if the magic I see in it is solely in my own head. One of my other art friends called it "Fabulous!" but maybe she was just being polite.

 The Gauntlet, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

 

Every time this happens I vow to myself that I will never, ever, ever ask him for his opinion again. And then I forget and do it anyway.

So. I couldn't keep away from working on the flesh tones of the figures in the painting below before heading down to the basement:

 

 The Chair, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)  

 

I evened out some of the areas that transition from light to dark on the three figures at right, and did a little work on the guy.

Also:

In Case Of Emergency, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)