How long did that take? The Real Answer
The number one question I always get is:
“How long did that take?“
I can understand why people ask this question. They might be trying to make conversation, or they’re genuinely curious, or they’re trying to assess the value of the piece. However, there is not a simple answer to this question.
It may have taken me only four or five hours to create that painting. But it took me 30 years to get to the point where I can create it that quickly and have it look really good.
Legend has it that Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her. Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin, but not before asking for one million Francs.
The lady was shocked, “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”
“No,” Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.”
I have had many, many hours of study and practice. I’m constantly observing and consuming things, thinking about how I’d turn them into a piece of artwork, and I mentally catalog the way something looks in case I need to draw it one day. One might say I’m obsessed with looking at the world around me. I see beauty in everything.
My mom was the one to point this out to me. When I painted her dog, Charlie, she asked me how long it took. I told her five hours. A few days later she called me and said she didn’t like that answer because
it wasn’t accurate. She reminded me that I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and I went to college for it.
Now I answer the “How long did that take?” question like this:
“It took me four or five hours, plus 30 years.”
People usually chuckle and mumble their understanding.
What’s your take? Do you like my new answer?
Portrait of Charlie
Watercolor, gouache
18″ x 24″
Pet portraits available by commission, message me!