5. Painting

Painting - A true story

My good friend Jason is an artist. A truly amazing artist, and possibly the most talented person I've ever met.  For 15 years he worked as a commercial artist, doing commissions for bars, pubs, restaurants, families and individuals. He produced incredible works of art over the years and built up an impeccable reputation, with legions of extremely satisfied customers. He is a master of technique - painting with acrylics, oils, watercolours and on canvas and murals, and drawing with charcoal, coloured pencils, pastels, markers, crayons and pen and ink on paper, canvas, wood, cardboard, chalkboard, whiteboard, plastic and leather. In fact, he started his career painting album covers onto leather jackets for the punks in the 1980's. He has never had to advertise his services, as his reputation precedes him.

After 15 years he called me and told me he was quitting work as a professional artist. I asked him why and he said it was because he was replicating, copying and recreating someone else's vision for money and it never allowed for his own creative input. Incredibly, the only original piece of work he created is one mind blowing sketch on a sheet of A4 paper. One day, he will return to art, but purely for his own pleasure and not for money. I can't wait to see the results.