Little Artist

Little Artist by Joyce Brandstetter Couch

She was setting there on the floor, lost in her drawing. The sun was coming in the window behind her highlighting her hair. She looked like an angel. I don't think she was even aware that I was taking pictures, so deep was her concentration on her task.The more I looked at the photos the more I wanted to paint her.Little Artist is a 16x20, pastel.

A Texas Spring

A Texas Spring by Joyce Brandstetter Couch

A friend and I went on a day trip this spring to see the bluebonnets and take pictures. They were exceptionally lovely this year. As soon as I saw this scene, I knew, I had to paint it.

Why do I paint

‘’Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures’’ ~Henry Ward Beecher




Why do I paint?


I remember one of my grandchildren asking me this one time. At the time I was a little offended as the question was actually,’’ Why to you just set around and paint all the time?’’ I knew in my heart that that question was being repeated from an adult. Recently I have been working on my artist statement and BIO. Everything I read says to tell why you paint, so that got me thinking about the reasons. Painting is a form of expression, how the artist sees the subject and how the artist feels about that subject. I paint what I love. Inspiration comes as an overwhelming feeling to express oneself about a subject, to put on paper or canvas, your most personal feelings about the subject. A writer will tell the story. A visual artist draws or paints the story.