I used to own a restuarant

For over 50 years I worked with my husband in his restaurant Vesuvio Pizzeria and Spaghetti House. Restaurant work is hard, tiring, demanding, sometimes demeaning, interesting, exhilarating, friendly, warm, and so much more. We are retired now and the restaurant is gone. I used to love the sounds in the dinning room, the tinkling of glasses, the chatter, the bursts laughter, music in the background, they were warm and cozy sounds. I miss those but I don’t miss the work.
Now I have time to paint! Now I have time to mount a show, find community in the art world, read and study other artist, go to openings and museums. My life is completely different. Now I aim to be in the studio 5 mornings a week 4-5 hrs a day. Nice work week, eh? I paint what I want and I don’t need to worry that it may not be to someone else taste. I am my own boss, have you ever worked with your husband and extended family? It’s not easy! I am no longer in the service industry, I am in the service of me industry. The things that are the same? I use creativity to paint, cook and even running a restaurant, I am very unhappy when I can’t be creative. Ingredients and materials, get combined in different ways to come up with a new dish or a new painting. The new ideas both in cooking and painting require experimentation, technique, and a good foundation. Emotion is a strong influencer in the outcome. Presentation is key for the consumer. Finally with patience, practice, and passion painting like cooking or even running a restaurant can be incredibly rewarding.