Did you go to school for Art?

This is a question that people ask painters, including other painters.

Did I go to school for art? Well, I thought I did but I didn't find much. Thanks to the fact that I chose design as my major, I found good beginnings in color, design, and drawing. As for painting, I did not learn much. Illustration was a part of our program, but a very weak link with an instructor who had a narrow view of what illustration should be. People who had a strong start in a good high school art program did well, but I lacked that too!

I wanted to paint realistically which just wasn't in favor at that time. In my art history class I discovered paintings by artists whom I admired and I knew where I wanted to focus but I didn't know how to get there. I was drawn to Vermeer, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel and most of all, Edgar Degas. I have different favorites now, but Degas is still top of my list.

To learn to paint the way I wanted to, I "took art" from anyone who would give it to me. I took recreation center classes from local artists, Alice Bess and Dot Nowell, who gave generously of all that they had learned and encouraged me with no limits. This is where I learned basics about materials, how to mix color, find the light source in the painting, and to keep trying. They also gave me the courage and taught me how to enter shows, frame my work, display my work at art shows and, again, to keep trying. Don't give up if you are rejected from a show - just keep painting until you get good enough and you will be accepted. 

Later on I took workshops from nationally and internationally known artists, who often told me things I wasn't ready to understand. I kept hearing the same things over and over from many wonderful artists and eventually I was ready to hear them and it clicked.

Susan Lyon - a fantastic artist and great teacher - with whom I have been fortunate enough to study, taught more than I could absorb at once. I think I'll need a refresher course with her!
Here are some photos of demo by Susan and the still life set up we worked from.

Now I understand more than I used to, but have to keep reminding myself to make use of the things I have learned, which is pretty difficult. I am still learning and don't intend to ever stop going to school for art! You can learn so much in a week long workshop - way more than you can absorb in that amount of time. Then the hard part comes; go home and paint, paint paint til you perfect it.

Drawing with Friends

Several times a week I have an opportunity to meet with friends and draw.  I usually don't attend more than one of these sessions per week, but it is a great way to connect with other artists and share ideas while practicing one of the most essential art skills.

One weekly event started as something called a Drawing Circle. I began drawing with these folks over 10 years ago and have been joining them off and on ever since. At the drawing circle we sat in a circle with sketch books and drew each other drawing. Nowadays, the artists take turns sitting still and posing while the rest of the group draws them, which is much easier. The people are interesting to talk to - I usually come away with a book or movie recommendation or some information I didn't have when I got there, which I always welcome.

Saturday I attended the drawing circle and had such a great time that I thought I would share some of my work with my blog readers.

 

You might want to consider starting your own group. You can meet at a coffee shop or gallery for a couple of hours a week and you'll soon be amazed at the improvement you see in your drawings. It's a good idea to time the poses - we do 15 or 20 minutes, depending upon the model's stamina. It's also a great way to get friends and family involved - they can accompany you and serve as models. No competition, just draw. If you don't want to show anyone your work, close the sketchbook when you've finished. But I bet soon you'll want to share your progress with your fellow drawers.

Happy drawing!