Fresh at all costs. Quality is alive and well and hanging on walls in Seattle. Sargent was a workaholic. Letters from his Rocky Mountain trip mention discomfort and poor weather. Nevertheless he worked every day on the material that came to hand.
Talent counts for much, but effort counts for more.
Several artists noted that there are not many Sargent paintings at the above site, nor are there many on the net. This is because many Sargent paintings are still in copyright. In order to see them you must buy one of the books. There are some good ones listed on the site mentioned above. The following are selected responses to this letter.