Act One is the initial delivery of the idea on the canvas or paper. That exciting light sketch vibrating with potential. The first layers of value and color are applied as I flesh out the composition. Soon there emerges a loose vision of the final result. Then the struggle begins…

Will I find my way to completion without getting lost in the doldrums of Act Two? Or will the piece lose its appeal and excitement and end up gathering dust in the corner of my studio until I declare it a lost cause and paint over it?

Sometimes, no most times, I can push through the wall and burst into Act Three with a rousing finish, but it takes persistence, courage, good light, and a little Cabernet.

Because sometimes it’s true – some do receive answers to their prayers, some are miraculously healed, Mr Right appears and sweeps some off their feet, a talent scout does pick someone from the crowd to be a superstar and somebody always wins the lottery.

The myth of being rescued, of being able to short-circuit the work, of miraculous intervention in our affairs persists because we long for it. So the stories of when it happened get passed around between us and repeated in the media we love to watch.

We love it when Jane Austin makes sure that the hero comes through at the end. It’s comforting. It might happen to us. Real life seems so dull and workmanlike in comparison.

How do we make drama and tell stories that celebrate the hard work of act 2, (dogged persistence, striving) so that our children grow up, not expecting miraculous intervention, but understanding that they can push through to something great if they are willing to work for it?