Saturday, March 5, 2011

Stroke of Luck


A fellow painter admired this, and I said I found painting a little like poker. Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold them, she said. True enough. But I was thinking of the element of luck. Because I work every bit as hard on the bad paintings as the good ones. Like poker, there's a lot of luck involved, but the more you do it, the more often your luck is good. Be warned: I am totally unqualified to offer poker advice.

Coincidentally, this lovely Queen Anne structure used to belong to a fellow whose nickname was Lucky. It was built for his sixteen year-old bride. Lucky Baldwin nearly lost his life and fortune on several occasions, but by luck he kept missing death and financial ruin. He did finally die.

That expression -- stroke of luck; it may well refer to a brushstroke.

5 comments:

  1. I like your Queen Anne painting, too. Not sure if the bride was lucky considering she was just 16, but at least she had a nice house. I like your applied meaning to stroke of luck. How true.

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  2. I enjoyed your wonderful narrative as much your painting.

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  3. It's so beautiful. I love visiting the arboretum. You've reminded me I have some great photos from there archived somewhere.

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  4. I don't feel any energy from this one. If you want my honest opinion, this is far from your best work. There are many others I've seen here which I like better.

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