I’m a self-taught artist…
…and I have a Master’s degree in painting.
When I was 3, I persuaded my mother to let me use a paint by number kit. It was fun. I loved what I did. But I knew even then that it didn’t look anything like my grandmother’s paintings.
My grandmother came to visit when I was 7 and she showed me how to make a real oil painting of a barn in a field with mountains. Then she went home and I was left to struggle alone.
My teachers in college were abstract expressionists and didn’t know how to help me create representational works. So, I painted on my own for many years. I read art magazines, art books, I looked at paintings and I tried to do what I thought people were doing. I thought I painted well. But I didn’t.
I made mistakes. Lots of mistakes. But the thing is, I couldn’t see them. My eyes were not yet trained.
I went back to school and got a master’s degree in painting. In school, I learned a lot about painting, about its aims, about the painter’s intent, about how to look at and speak about the work, about other artists. It helped. But in graduate school, I wasn’t taught technique, and I wanted to learn how to paint well.
After graduating I began taking workshops. It was heaven. Short intensive periods to focus deeply on specific aspects of the “how” with direct immediate feedback. It helped a lot and I felt I was finally making progress.
Going to school and taking workshops helped me to fill in the gaps. My teachers could see what I couldn’t because I just didn’t know what I didn’t know so I couldn’t study effectively on my own.
According to James Elkins in his book, Why Art Cannot Be Taught, you can’t really teach anyone how to be an artist. That depends on their vision, intent, and motivation. But you can teach technique which, once learned, may help you to make the art of your heart.
I still make mistakes. In fact, I’ve probably made just about every mistake you can make when trying to paint.
So, I know what you’re going through if you’re struggling to learn how to paint well.
The biggest issue is that you don’t know what you don’t know. You need another set of eyes and someone to point you in the right direction to fill in your own gaps.
If you’re in that situation and you want to learn to paint, I’m offering my Oil Painting Bootcamp on Saturday and Sunday, December 8 & 9th in Las Cruces, NM. It will be packed with useful information, demonstrations, focused work, and fun.
Start your painting journey and let me help guide you.
You can find more details and sign up on the blog
Get 10% off registration for a month of classes or the December workshop if you sign up before November 30.