art surf

''Are you pleased with it?''

That is the question I get asked each week in life class. Being asked the question, in class, reminds me of being asked the question, en route,

''Are we nearly there yet?''

It's become a philosophical question now; it depends what is meant by the term 'pleased'. Frankly, I always know I can do better, no matter what I've done - the curse of the incurable perfectionist - and to get there I need to do more practice, to draw more often. Not just once a week.

The web has become less pleasing, quite dull actually. I rely on familiarity and feeds these days but ccasionally I surf randomly though this comprises little more than hitting 'Next Blog' above Ellis Nadler's Sketchbook. I've discovered that starting at his blog yields more fascinating hits, no doubt by process of similarity, and I get to see Ellis's latest offering which rarely fails to brighten my day.

And today I was moved by some preliminary sketches for a painting by Brooke Olivares (top right). Simple and so full of life, I think they speak for themselves. There's also a wonderful painting of a family group on a beach. It's worth looking for.

I'm pleased with that little surf. Now that just leaves me the question, what's the difference between ''illustration'' and ''art''?