[Kimber Scott]

I'm in university, a painting major. I have an independent study class for which I have a painting due Tuesday. It's a fairly large painting. A girl by a window. I'm having a horrible time with it and while I'm not asking for advice on the painting itself, right now. I know I can work it out in time. However, time does not seem to be an option for my instructor. She stresses quantity over quality. She says I can learn more in 100 paintings than I can in one. I understand what she is saying, but why should I have to make the same mistakes 100 times, if I could but spend time trying to work through them in the beginning?

For instance, in this painting, I am using a horrible photo reference as I couldn't find a model who would fit into the schedule provided for the painting. Bad start, I know. Anyway, the girl is standing by the window, which you can see through to a garage. I changed it to a landscape, but the colors were bothering me, so I told the teacher I was thinking of changing the summer landscape to a fall scene, so the colors wouldn't be so out of sink with the rest of the painting. And, I'm wondering how to subdue the "view." She says, "Maybe, you can work that out in the next painting."

I'm thinking, "What about this painting? Who says I'm going to paint another painting with a fall landscape out a window and I want it to look like it's through glass and doesn't compete with a girl in a red velvet dress with bright sun on her face? I have to paint it again? To figure out how to paint it now? I don't get it." I said nothing.

I'm tired of painting crap, or is that what I'm supposed to be doing? I know I could slap something together, make up some profundity about it, get an A and move on, but I'm 44 years old. I don't have time to b.s.. I want to learn something!

So, if anybody has any soothing, philosophical, advice - to include, "Get over it. Paint something and move on." I would love to hear it, before I bust a vein.