Usually I paint five or six days a week (sometimes seven). When I miss painting for more than two days, as on a holiday weekend, I can see and feel the difference. The painting will go much slower and have more corrections than usual. Recently the house needed some repairs that used up about three weeks. When I got back to the easel I felt like a kid on the first day of school after summer vacation. I had gotten "Rusty"! To shake off the 'rust" I do a few quick oil sketches. I'll use what ever is handy. It may be something around the house or any reference photo. The subject is not so important. What is important is that I get back to work (and back up to speed) in the studio. Like the athletes stretching and limbering up their muscles or the musicians tuning up their instruments, I'll "limber up" and "tune up" with a few oil sketches (how do surgeons limber up?). Here is one of the sketches I did after the long break working on the house. The oil sketch is a lot of fun to do and is a quick way to get back the skill level I had before taking a break. So, if you've been unable to paint for a while and are feeling "rusty", do a few quick oil sketches and get back to work. Best wishes, Jerry