Sometimes, I learn things the strangest ways.

I'll sit down and I'll paint an image – and it has something new about it. Something I've never tried before that makes a world of difference. I won't be able to put a finger on what it is, but chances are that this particular painting will be significantly better than anything I've done previously... even things I finished very recently.

Then, and here's the catch – it will take me over a year, sometimes more, to catch up with a piece like this. It will take that long before I can actually do other paintings of the same quality, and I have no clue of why this is.

This particular piece is one of those. I finished it, what, two summers ago? The stuff I did back then... I really don't think they can compare. I think I'm finally catching up with the piece... like, I feel that with my 'Hajieelkhe' piece, and perhaps the Spoiled one, I was pulling up alongside this one and figuring it out. I'm not sure if it works like this for anyone else, but it's quite frustrating. All the paintings I finish in between one of the 'break-throughs' and when I finally manage the same level in everything... man, let's just say I don't exactly like the in-betweeners. Sitting there, knowing I did a better piece recently but just... can't... repeat whatever fluke happened when I worked on the other one.

MOST frustrating thing about this painting is – I've not shown it around since it was done for my book (which is taking forever, I know), and I had to keep it under wraps. Not being able to show something you're happy with is VERY frustrating. I'm posting it now because, with the Posterbook and everything a lot of people have seen it already.

Anyway, back to the painting itself... It's titled Golden, and goes hand in hand with a story called Boy with the Golden hair. The story though... I'm not sharing until the book is done.