The Art of Painting a Picture

Art Work by Lisa Tomey

The Art of Painting a Picture

First: you find a place
clearing of the dining table
placing a protective cloth
feeding the dog

Second: get your supplies
sorting through the art closet
moving the ironing board
piling up the non-art stuff

Third: you put all supplies on the table
sitting down, you realize you did not make tea
making tea you look at the art table
watching the cat drinking from your water bowl

Fourth: you sit down with your tea and proceed to paint
focusing on your subject matter, you start
before your brush finds the canvas
you are blowing off cat hairs

Fifth: sitting back in your artist’s chair
resolving to put your brush to the canvas
you hear that familiar sound
tapping at the door, the dog wants out

Sixth: do not, under any circumstances
give up
dip, move, dip, move,
soon it will be done

Today’s National Poetry Day Prompt comes from Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides Blog: “For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The Art of (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “The Art of Writing,” “The Art of Painting,” “The Art of Showing Up to Parties Fashionably Late,” and/or “The Art of Being Awesome.”