I'm sitting here, ready to paint for another session fighting some really nasty fatigue. For me it's just about the worst feeling I can have - trying to get back to work after falling asleep. Unlike some people I can't stop. If I do, fatigue sets in and I'm asleep in seconds. I'm not the kind of person that can nap either. Instead, I do all I can without stopping. This isn't because I don't love sleep. I LOVE TO SLEEP. I just believe my purpose to paint is more important than sleep. When I have a deadline like this project it is only logical that my normal system of work is ramped up with more intensity. Four years ago I had to pull off a 14 panel "Stations of the Cross" commission in only 4 months (including getting compositions ready, hiring models, posing and delivering the finished product across the United States in time for lent). I've also painted 22 portraits in 48 hours of continuous painting without sleep back in 2010. For me it's about the thrill of what is possible when you push yourself to the limits. I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it again with these enormous commissions.
When I reflect on that success in my personal and business life, this uneasy feeling in my stomach, my burning eyes that won't focus, and the nagging conscience in the back of my head that keeps telling me to call it a night doesn't seem to affect me the least bit. With that said it's time to get back and paint until dawn.
Here's an iPhone shot of the devil from last night.
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