Referring to Kristin’s posting (Do not fear! April 20th), this class exercise came to me during Studio Italia of October 2006. I have painted a small painting in Cortona while the participants were working on their canvases. The painting was unsuccessful since all my focus was fully dedicated on my class instruction in the beautiful squares of this small city. Everything was weak in it; colors, shapes, composition. However, I brought it back at the house, and left it on the buffet next to the dining table.
During dinner, we were just discussing about this issue of letting go. To explain my point, I pick up my painting and asked to everyone. “Do you like this painting?” Everyone was polite trying to flee the honest answer. Then I expressively said “ I hate it! Can’t you see that everything is wrong!” Then, I plunged my hand into the salad bowl, took a handful of romaine lettuce drenched with cold pressed olive oil and start to rub energetically my painting. In less than three seconds, the daub was transformed into a work of art. Only a few cypress trees missing; so I thumbed up some sap green from my nearby palette and applied it as the finishing touch. This is the painting.
It was our painting demonstration of the day! The following days, everyone did incredible leaps in their art making. Thank you life for showing us the route of liberation!
Yves M. Larocque
Walk the Arts (living through the arts) 
Yves, in the interests of art and creativity you should reveal what brand of olive oil you used!
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The one we use in Italy is the COOP brand which is beautiful. Here in North America, we simply choose a reasonably priced Italian extra virgin olive oil.
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