I took an oil painting class in 2004 with Gerald Steadman Smith at the Ottawa School of Art. Gerald had the class bring in a photo for the first class and we used that to paint from.

During the class a student asked Gerald how to put the paint on the canvas. She had never done it before. I was now wondering what golden nugget of wisdom Gerald would provide that would alleviate my own rising anxiety.

He said, “You take your brush, dip it in the paint, and then put it on the canvas. I’m not going to do it for you, or even show you. Do you think anyone in any of my studies ever showed me? No. You just do it.”

Be still my beating heart.