Day 0006

I went to the prints and drawings room at the Met today and was captivated by a chalk nude by François Boucher. I had my toned paper and conté pencils with me so I was able to take the time to do a proper study of it. Although I have made some errors and although I wasn't able to sharpen my pencils to get the line quality I needed I am pleased with the result.

I feel like I have discovered a new artist whom I never thought I would have liked. His paintings are undeniably saccharine but are so technically virtuoso that I can't help but like them. His Toilette of Venus, also at the Met, is so sumptuously rich that I feel like I should hate myself for indulging in it, but I love it nonetheless.

The more art I look at the more I think that half the battle is in just getting started and ploughing on through the bad times. I often feel an overwhelming anxiety about starting anything because I want it to turn out perfectly every time, and because I know it won't I don't even bother. The fact is that even the masters had bad days and almost all of them have weak passages in their paintings, but they pressed on regardless and just kept producing new work. I think being prolific is key: just keep pumping stuff out, learning from mistakes and not giving up. This is true of most things I think.

It feels great to be in this extraordinary city for the start of a new year, and I'm so pleased to have committed to this project. I just hope I don't make my self sick of art.