Drawing Lessons

It was not with a light heart, that I finally decided last year to seek out art lessons.

Long ago, in the very same land, when I looked like this and had a temperament to match...



...I had a youthful infatuation with furious drawing and painting, late at night, on the floor, by candlelight, resulting from an adolescence spent dreaming of being the muse of young, tempestuous versions of da Vinci, Vermeer, Monet, Dali or Picasso, or actually becoming young versions of Cassatt, O'Keefe or Kahlo. At the time I had no desire to seek out the facts of the historical temperament, health or inclinations of these individuals- I was more satisfied with my own fanciful portraits of them.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

My introduction to art history was mainly through my parents' membership to The Art Institute of Chicago, where we would travel annually for special exhibits. Later, this was supplemented with student travel and appreciated but naïve visits to classic museums like The Louvre, The National Gallery, The Uffizi Gallery and the Prado.

Street fair in Spain. 

Like many youthful infatuations, I got caught up in the frenzy and fury of my passion during those travels, and rushed to the Impressionist galleries where the work of my idols resided, thereby ignoring entire wings of centuries older and more obscure (to me) paintings and artifacts. I didn't know that the artists I admired were mostly classically trained, so I liked to copy their style and call it a day, and became irate if anyone (like my mom) suggested that I take lessons, thinking it meant I wasn't good enough (not that I had potential).

Santa Barbara harbor

I now understand the intention of my loved ones and value of those travels, and know that there are a lifetime of lessons to learn, and while I don't want to dampen my imagination, I do want to broaden my basic skills and technical knowledge.

So, I contacted a local artist/professor and told him I wanted to take oil painting lessons (old habits die hard- I still thought I had dabbled enough to skip over the basics). After one lesson we quickly shifted to charcoal drawing lessons hehe!

Study of porcelain cup and baseball

Drawing lessons have been both frustrating and freeing. They have quickly pointed out larger behaviors and tendencies that I had ignored or suppressed. For example, in those first few lessons I was extremely slow in making marks on the page, terrified of doing the "wrong" thing with the "right" tools and guidelines.

My art teacher patiently urged me to "get it down" and let me know that the beauty of drawing and painting is that it can be reworked. That I should try to get the structure right, but I also need to move. Many lessons later, here are some of the other valuable lessons I've learned and taken with me throughout my other daily routines:

Drawing turned life lesson #1: Take thoughtful action.
 
Drawing turned life lesson #2: Don't jump to conclusions.

Drawing turned life lesson #3: See what is really there.

Drawing turned life lesson #4: Be patient.

Drawing turned life lesson #5: Objects in the foreground are clear and sharp, objects in the background are a little more hazy.

Drawing turned life lesson #6: Practice makes perfect....let's say..."progress."

Drawing turned life lesson #7: Have fun.

In addition to drawing, we have now begun some plein air oil painting, and I've been playing around with some completely abstract departures which I'll write about shortly. I have not regretted taking the chance on lessons, and have found myself invigorated, challenged and forward-thinking.

plein air painting lesson