Like An Algebra Test

I sometimes tell people that doing a complicated painting is like taking an algebra test. I really struggled in algebra, and when a test was handed out, I’d flip through the pages, freaking out. Finally I’d see a problem I thought I could do. So I’d solve that one, then continue flipping around until I saw another I could do. Eventually I’d finish the test. Figuring out a complex painting is kind of like that. I’ve done enough of them to know I usually can get things to work out fairly well. Or, in other words: Making a good painting depends on learning to control your panic!