Rose Frantzen - Exploring The Question

I was afraid to try to paint a portrait until I watched Rose Franzen teach. It was her interview with Eric Rhoads that convinced me to simply explore the experience. At the very end of the interview of the Streamline Art Video called Rose Frantzen *Portraits in Conversation” **FREE OIL LESSON VIEWING** near the 1:45:24 mark, Eric asks Rose, "What is your purpose?" She answers, "I don't know," and then she gets completely mystical and her words grabbed me. Rose spun this spiritually transcendent moment that spoke to my heart. She said, " That's a question I should put in front of me on the easel." Then she went on to say, "Take this life, ask questions about it and see what my better nature explores inside of it... you know... the painter in me, the artist in me, what That Me can teach the me that moves around on the planet." I was captivated. Eric wants to burn her next words into his easel. She said "What is the Question I'm trying to explore?" I loved this! She even corrected him, "Not answer, explore, because if I'm trying to get the answer Eric, I'm already beginning to limit it." I was stilled by this thought. Just explore. I wanted to capture my moment of awareness in this painting of Rose The Mystic, one of my first attempts at portraiture. And then, not enough, I decided to explore how it would feel to enter it in this competition. (You have no idea how brave I needed to be!) Thanks Rose. And thanks Eric, for all those generous videos EVERY SINGLE DAY during Covid-19.