Blog

Well, sort of.

From Wikipedia:

"A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: שַׁבָּת Šabat (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin sabbaticus; Greek: sabbatikos σαββατικός) is a rest or break from work; "an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job." ^[1]

The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of shmita (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to Leviticus 25, Jews in the Land of Israel must take a year-long break from working the fields every seven years.^{[2] "}

I've often heard of ministers and teachers "going on Sabbatical," and didn't really understand what it was all about, except that they would take a leave of absence for awhile to get their heads together. I guess the Wikipedia definition is close enough, and it really does make sense, since Sabbath requires us to take the seventh day of the week off.

Do I do it? Mostly. I often find myself in the studio on the seventh day, as well as Sundays, the first day of the week, working, catching up and doing what goes on the rest of the time. Perhaps it's time to pay more attention.

My Sabbatical came on its own, without planning or scheduling. Doctor appointments, deadlines, joining a new chorus, and finally, after over 50 years, finding a ranch where I could rekindle my love of horses. I started riding again, and that in itself brought new opportunities to acquire reference material, whether from the barn where I ride or the fairgrounds where I can observe other people engaging in public competitions and shows.

As a result, you will see NEW work on the website as I transition from mostly aviation art, which I've done for over 30 years, to more equine art as I learn about horse conformation and new concepts for painting.

This also means putting more people in my work. Thanks to a fabulous DVD course by Michael Mentler entitled "Drawing the Figure in the Renaissance Tradition," I'm learning more about how the body is put together so that I can hopefully acquire some of that rhythm and grace of the human form in my paintings.

Airplanes are man made. Horses and people are fluid in movement, and that needs to come through. It takes education and practice.

So, the actual "Sabbatical" may be over and I'm back to work, but striving for more understanding and bettering skills never ends.

Ancora imparo- I am still learning.

Michelangelo