Reviewing our own history

Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary 

A little late, but last month was the Goldengate Bridges 75th anniversary........probably forgotten by most until the next big anniversary comes along.  As I clicked through groups of news photos showing some of the history of our Goldengate it reminded me I painted the bridge a few years back for a juried National Parks event I was interested in...now packed away and long forgotten....however those (2) bridge paintings still exist, more easily retrieved from my digital files than storage. It reminded me how important our history is and why it might not be a good idea to destroy any of it. Off and on I spent quite a bit of time during 2010 on the National Parks series  - without question a significant learning curve for me. The collection of about 40 paintings included #319 Bakers Beach and #325 Paragliding (view from Bakers Beach National Park)

        #319 Bakers Beach 11x14 oil on prepared canvas panel 4/7/2010 from photo by Frank Kehren

#325 Paragliding 20x24 oil on linen panel 4/22/2010 from photo by Frank Kehren

When I started painting back in 2009 I recorded and numbered my first painting and every one since - good or bad I recorded the painting. I keep the digital images in a yearly file - stored in my computer and backed up on external drives or DVDs easily accessed for my occasional visits.


The  thing is....I wouldn't remember any of it otherwise, like the sequence without the numbers or the date completed or how long it took me. Did I fail or succeed...am I making progress? In the larger picture....important information if you're a serious painter. If nothing else, having a simple visual timeline showing your personal history and progress as a painter makes it worth the time.


In today's digital world all this is easy and most of us are starting to track our history.....along with everyone else...LOL


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