The assignment was to pick from an assortment of bird pictures, and, using glazing, add measuring techniques to paint. After a year of painting into abstraction with reckless abandon, it was quite a pivot but a needed one.
Since I began painting, too often for success is the result of uninformed trial and error. Learning through discovery is invaluable. As a teacher, however, I also know that, without foundational skills, or discovery is often limited or miss directed.
I’ve come to terms with the reality that art will never be a career for me. It will always be a passion and practice, however, and those realities mean it is even more important to me to learn the nuts and bolts, so I started another year-long, art course devoted to learning techniques and becoming a master of my materials.
Discovery is still happening, and learning is learning. When I move back into abstraction, I will have a new set of tools.
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