Artistic Dating

The other night, when I came home with my Starry Night, my husband told me that he really wanted to take one of these painting classes with me. It just so happened that I'd made arrangements for my kids to hang at the Y last night. The original plan was to hit a wine bar, but on second thought, I decided to sign us up for a class. I was particularly excited because in this class we'd be painting the 360 Bridge - a very Austin-y sort of thing to paint.

As I mentioned before, I think these classes offer a real chance for self-discovery. It's so fascinating to see how different people interpret the exact same thing and how everyone's painting looks different, even when the teacher is giving identical instructions to each person.

Case in point - check out our two pictures. I think it's pretty obvious which painting was created by loosy-goosy me and which was created by my much more structured husband.

We decided that although my trees, clouds and water probably look more realistic, his bridge is a heck of a lot better. Plus the cables on his bridge are all at the same angle - unlike my cables which seem to be subject to varying gravitational forces, depending upon where they are on the bridge.

He's able to draw straight lines, you see, whereas I seem to be physically unable to do so. However, the swirls and activity of nature make a lot of sense to me. (Remember my wild and active tree from Starry, Starry Night?)

I told him that someday we should do a painting in which I paint the natural background and he puts a manmade structure on the top layer. It struck me that that's the perfect analogy for marriage when it's working the way it's supposed to work - each person brings his or her skill to the table, celebrates what the other person is able to accomplish - and before you know it, you have a beautiful creation.