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Are you willing to fail?
What I learn from teaching art, and what I teach
I teach an art class on Wednesday nights to several young students. It’s great fun for me. When I first started doing it, I wasn’t sure, but I have found that I learn as much about life and art as I teach.
Above is a photograph of paintings my students and I completed tonight. In keeping with the season, I thought we’d do an autumn landscape. The paintings are in acrylic.
I am not an acrylic artist. My medium is watercolor. I sometimes play with India inks on yupo paper or do sketches in charcoal or pencil. But mostly I paint watercolors.
I’ve never really been fond of acrylic because I don’t think they are as pretty as either watercolors or oil. Watercolors are luminous, organic, delicate — like flowers. Oils are rich, deep, vibrant — like jewels. Acrylics are… well, they’re not my thing.
But, I’m teaching youngsters. I like to mix it up with them and try different things. While I think in the end watercolors and oils give the most beautiful results the reality is that they are also more difficult mediums. Acrylics are the most forgiving of the three.
So I did something I don’t normally do. I took a risk.
