My thoughts on art classes.
‘I’m confessin’, I never had a lesson, all my notes are just a matter of guessin’ (Chet Atkins).
It is no surprise to me, to find that many of the artists I admire claim to be self taught. None of these, though, will claim to have achieved their level of skill without some guidance. The fact is they are not self taught, but self guided.
The artist is typically a specialist. Very few will try to be good at everything. I find that oil painters don’t like watercolours and so stick to perfecting their oil painting techniques. Other artists work exclusively in charcoal, pastels etc. All of these are specialist areas. There is a lifetime of learning in each of these. There is no harm in experimenting, though.
I am painting, in a serious way, for a number of years now. I paint almost exclusively in watercolour. Previously, I painted only in oils, though I had tried watercolour, but I was frustrated by my attempts. I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong.
Then during Arts Week (Kilkenny), a number of years ago, I approached a watercolour artist (Ray Osborn) whose work I admire, and I asked him if he ever taught classes. He didn’t seem interested in discussing the matter at first, but I chatted more with him, and about his work, and eventually he gave me a number for the South Tipperary Art Centre, where he sometimes teaches classes. A couple of months later I was attending his beginners watercolour class.
He was not a college trained art teacher, as far as I know, he was just an excellent watercolour artist. His classes covered nothing other than watercolour. No curriculum, no exams. They were really workshops/demonstrations. This was perfect for me. In no time at, all I began to learn how to use this medium, properly. I moved on to his advanced class, and I never looked back.
His greatest tips were – use only the best paper (he recommended Arches), the best brushes (handmade sable) and the best paint (Windsor and Newton). I made the investment.
When the watercolour classes finished, I was on my own. I bought some books on painting and specifically on watercolour. I then turned to YouTube for more tips and guidance. This was helpful and interesting. I might write my impressions of YouTube as a resource another time. There is good stuff to be found, but a lot of time wasters also.
Eventually I began to find my way. A lot is learned by experimenting. In fact every painting is an experiment. However I don’t like to sacrifice my good quality materials, I work on every piece until it is presentable, I rarely scrap a painting. For me, careful planning, starting out with light washes, and carefully building up the colour until it feels right is the way to go. A painting takes a number of days to complete, I don’t often do alla-prima. Over the coming year, I might sign up for workshops on aspects of watercolour that I’d like to improve on, (like maybe alla-prima ?).
The point I want to make, and the my message is – forget your typical local art classes. These follow a wide curriculum, cover all types of media from painting to printing, and in fairness, have modest objectives. They are at best a taster. They use cheap paint bought in bulk, cheap paper, cheap brushes, and with thirty or more in the class, there is very little individual attention. They are arguably more about socialising, than art. Nothing wrong with socialising, though.
To make serious progress, and not waste your time, decide what medium you want to work in, first. Go to exhibitions (Kilkenny Arts Week), talk to the artists and see what appeals to you. Find someone expert in this medium and try to work with them. Look for good guidance in the medium, network with other artists (they are a great and generous bunch of people) and work slowly and carefully on every piece.
I am a representational watercolour landscape artist. I am no expert, but I really enjoy painting. Visit booleyart.com and see my work.
