:: Spring 2019 
Review
#Painting as a Pastime#, Winston S. Churchill, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.: New York, 1950
What a pleasure to read this small book, enjoy the color prints of Winston Churchill’s paintings, and listen to his advice for painters as a fiber artist! CyberFibres highly recommends this read for artists of every medium – especially those who work with color.
Churchill (1874-1965) began oil painting in his 40’s. His self-awareness led him to seek an area of mental focus that would provide a break from the stress and intensity of his regular work. He was not looking for the absence of intensity; rather, he sought a pastime in which to focus his thinking and effort. While he believed reading to be a wonderful pleasure, he found it a passive experience compared to the active experience of combining mind, eye, hand, paints, and blank canvas to depict a scene to be remembered fondly.
Churchill did not worry that his paintings were not masterpieces. He relished the process of painting, both what it required of him and what it enabled him to express. A finished Fiber Arts project can provide a sewist, needleworker, spinner, weaver, lace maker, and all other fiber artists a similar sense of pleasure and accomplishment!