I recently finished a 30-mile walking challenge in the Black Mountains of Wales. It took 13 hours, but I did it.
During those long miles, I needed something to keep my mind occupied, so I found myself comparing walking long distances with painting. (as you do?)
At first, they seem like entirely separate pursuits.
But, perhaps in the haze of fatigue, I made a few connections.
Both are journeys. And while that word can drift into the abstract, I mean it in the simplest sense: both involve forward motion (and sometimes backward!).
Walking unfolds moment by moment, the body responds to subtle shifts in weather, terrain, pace, or the weight of a backpack. Painting is similar. Each layer invites a new response, each mark is a decision, whether to refine, rework, or paint over and start again.
Uncertainty plays a large role in both. On a long walk, the weather can turn without warning, or fatigue can easily settle in. In painting, the ending is rarely clear from the beginning. Early decisions are reconsidered, adjusted, sometimes completely abandoned.
Then, there is endurance. Walking demands physical stamina, careful pacing, hydration, and the mental resilience to move through discomfort. Abstract painting asks the painter to sit in uncertainty, resisting the urge to control where the painting is leading, and trying to stay present when it all feels frustrating.
I suppose both come down to the same thing: just keep going.
One step, one mark at a time.