Theodore Sturgeon was an American Science Fiction author and critic who in a column in the September 1957 issue of Venture Science Fiction magazine first revealed Sturgeon’s Law which states that “90% of everything is crap.”
I stumbled across Sturgeon’s Law (sometimes known as Sturgeon’s Revelation) several decades after the original publication. It rang true to me, so of course I stole it and reworked it to make it my own. One of my central tenets is that “85% of everything is something else.”
I know this is true for my artwork. Last week I was finally able to start putting paint on a large format canvas – that’s the main event and the 15% part of the whole painting thing. The 85% part is the digital upfront work with photos I’ve taken, followed by some digital painting which results in prints that are mounted on small plywood panels and then painted on with a physical brush to establish final composition and best color gamut. I’ve been working on setting up a series of images since early December. This is all part of getting ready/confident to start on the main event - which can take between a few weeks and forever. But to me it seems worth the effort.
I think the 85% rule holds true for a lot (perhaps 85%) of other activities. Recently I was on the phone catching up with an old flying friend. She asked me if since I was no longer actively involved in piloting, I had a lot of time to spend painting. I replied that the percentage of time I actually spend in the studio with brush in hand compared to the time I spend on all the other stuff necessary to produce art was probably equal to the percentage of time she spent hands on the controls of an aircraft in flight compared to all the time and effort spent on other aviation related activities necessary to get to the point of actually flying the plane. She immediately understood what I was talking about.
Your mileage may vary, but I’m guessing that the 85% figure is probably in the right ballpark.
Also in the Studio
Roger, the orange and white Maine Coon cat in the photo on the ‘About’ page of my website is no longer with us. I need to update that web page but it’s hard to see him go. He died in the summer of 2022 after a pretty full life. I soon discovered that I need a cat in my life, so almost a year ago Fred agreed to take on the role of studio supervisor as long as I agreed to keep putting food in his bowl.
My relationship with Fred is very different than my relationship with Roger. Roger was one of the most laid-back beings that I have ever encountered. He never got upset and rarely moved through life at any pace brisker than a fast trot. Fred started out in a feral colony and has a different outlook on things. He regularly tears through the house at what we would describe in Navy terms as ‘high subsonic speeds.’ This also involves literally bouncing off walls and sometimes destroying my stuff. But he’s got a good heart, apparently likes the food I put in his bowl, and we are both working on our relationship. I’ve got wounds on my hands and arms to prove it. He’s a good pal and things will get more relaxed once he finishes his adolescent craziness.