Between classes, live model painting events, commissions, and workshops, my studio filled up with work this winter. Some pieces I’m proud to call my own, while others I hope never see the light of day, or at least won’t ever make it to my website. One lesson I’m still learning is that knowing and doing are very different skills. An artist once told me that if your knowledge is a 10, then your skills are an 8. And if you want to bring your skills up to a 10, you have to kick your knowledge up to a 12. I’ll always know how to paint better than I’m really able. While at times that’s frustrating, there’s nothing that can replace the feeling of a completed piece, flaws and all.