... and the thing I did was that I taught a drawing workshop. Not oil painting, although that's what you might expect from me, but drawing. I suspect someday I will do it again.
I spent 25 years as a public school English teacher. I loved my subject, 'til I didn't. The pedagogy around English instruction in middle school changed so much during the time I was teaching that by the time I finished, I really didn't enjoy my chosen academic subject anymore.
Now I'm immersed in pursuing mastery in visual art. Along the way, I got the message that drawing was an essential skill for a representational painter, in fact, I have come to believe that drawing does deserve it's own niche of respect in the arts.
After these years along the art journey, I do think I could teach a few art-related topics. I don't presume to be a master necessarily at anything art related yet, but I do acknowledge I have gained some legitimate artistic skill, and I already did have teaching ability. I am confident I could get a new-ish oil painter started in plein air, and I can teach what I've learned from my drawing teacher about mark-making.
So I taught a drawing workshop last weekend. It felt good to be in a teaching role again. I think the attendees enjoyed themselves, and I know I had a ball, even though I think I went to bed about 8:30 the evening it was over. LOL. (Dang, I don't have the stamina I used to have!)
And the attendees were amazing! They tried everything I asked them to do, and they did great work.
I believe I have expanded my repertoire of things I can teach, and it felt really good to pour my combination of skill and passion into others' lives again.
The place where I did the workshop is this historic art guild in Buchanan Dam, Texas, a small community on the south end of Lake Buchanan. The guild itself has poured a gift into my own life already because my grandmother took oil painting classes there in the 70's when I was just a little kid. I remember her excitement when she taught me how to draw a tree and a 3 dimensional cube. I didn't pursue art or drawing in school ever, but I remember her excitement rubbing off on me when she passed what she'd been taught to me. I also have several paintings she did back then still hanging in my home today.
Art is a gift. It's a gift we give ourselves and a gift we give others. And I love that I can do it and pass it on. It seems like a small thing, but it also matters very much in this age of AI that human beings can grab a pencil and make beautiful marks without a computer. Making art is, frankly a noble pursuit that nourishes the human soul, no matter what level of skill the artist has attained.
Why don't you pick up a pencil sometime and see what marks you can make, (that no one else will, because they are not you)?
Peace,
Judi
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