Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
Picking up the brush can fumble you. At times, it can feel like reaching for something you’re not sure you understand, but wanting to see what happens.
Maybe it’s been years since you’ve drawn anything. Or maybe you’ve never tried. Your hand hovers, unsure. What if the first mark is wrong?
Well, Bob Henry understands that beat. He’s been there too. In his book, For Artists and Art Lovers: A Handbook, he shares what it means to begin again and again, across a lifetime of painting. This is a counterpart for anyone who wonders if making art could be part of their life.
The First Time You Hold a Brush
Picture a teenager walking into a figure drawing class for the first time. The smell of oil paint fills the air. Tall windows cast light over wooden benches. Everyone around him is focused, charcoal flying. That teen was Bob Henry, and he describes that moment as feeling like “stepping into the movie An American in Paris.”
Although he wasn’t trained and didn’t know the rules, he stayed. That decision to stay curious, to keep drawing was the first real lesson. Not technique. Not theory. Just the choice to begin.
“Painting would be my ticket into the counterculture.”
If you’re just starting a painting hobby, maybe that story feels close to home.
Painting Is More Than Painting
Here’s the thing: painting isn’t always about paint. It’s about noticing. Slowing down. Making sense of what you see and feel even if no one else ever sees the canvas.
Henry writes, “A painting is an object, but not a mere object. It is a manifestation of who each of us is.”
Think about that. You are not just creating an image. You are leaving traces of your choices, very much your way of looking, your way of feeling, your fingerprints in color and line.
This applies whether you’ve sold paintings for years or you’re just learning to paint with whatever’s in your kitchen drawer.
Don’t Wait for the Perfect Idea
Here’s a common fear: “I don’t know what to paint.” But Henry says you don’t need to know. Start anyway. Pick up the brush and let the brush guide you. Picking up the brush kindles the creative drive.
“Some people have the notion that the artist has a moment of inspiration and then proceeds to realize that inspiration. The truth is that a series of inspirations occur when realizing a painting.”
It’s like walking in the dark with a flashlight. You see just enough to take the next step. Then the next. Until something starts to take shape.
That’s what picking up the brush does. It breaks the spell of perfection.
The Painting Changes You, Too
When you change one line in a painting, the whole thing shifts. The same happens to you. You start noticing shapes more. Shadows feel richer. Even sitting in traffic, you might stare at the light bouncing off someone’s windshield and think, I’d paint that.
Henry puts it this way:
“Painting is both a conceptual and a performing art at the same time.”
You’re not just recording the world… you’re responding to it. You’re part of it now.
“In painting, our minds might pose the questions, but our eyes supply the answers.”
When Is a Painting Finished?
Let’s say you do start painting. You build layers, adjust colors, wipe something off, then add it back again. When do you stop?
Henry lists a few answers. Some are practical. Some are funny.
“It is finished when you stop responding to the ‘what ifs?’”
But maybe the deeper truth is: finishing is less important than starting. You can only finish what you’ve begun. And often, what you begin teaches you more than the end result ever could.
“We may see problems appear in a painting, but painting is more than problem solving.”
You Don’t Need to Be an Artist to Read This Book
Even if you’ve never picked up a brush, this book is still for you. Why? Because it’s about how to live with attention. It’s about getting better at seeing what’s in front of you. And sometimes, we need someone a little farther down the path to remind us that starting is enough.
Henry’s reflections are calm, grounded, and often calmly profound.
“The audience will consider taking a painting seriously, no matter what, if it is done with conviction.”
And maybe that’s what we need more of.
Picking Up the Brush: Where to Start? Here. Now.
So… what’s stopping you from picking up the brush?
Not enough time? Use five minutes. Not sure what to paint? Close your eyes and start with a shape. Not sure you’re “creative”? That’s a myth. Henry didn’t know what he was doing either, at first. Most of us don’t. If you want a guide who understands what it feels like to begin and to begin again—read For Artists and Art Lovers: A Handbook.
You can also explore more about Henry’s influences, including his teacher Hans Hofmann, at the Hans Hofmann Foundation—a valuable resource for those drawn to abstract art and composition.
So go ahead. Pick up the brush.
