Dear Teacher…

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Girl in Chair, 36 x 36

Have you ever wanted to hand a letter to your art teacher and let them know your thoughts? I have had so very many students tell me of their horrendous experiences with thoughtless teachers. I’m certain that we have all shared in some of these experiences.

I think my favorite teacher horror story is my sister-in-law, Annie’s, tale of her drawing class. She got up the courage to attend a local drawing class. When she entered the room most of the students knew each other and no one greeted her (sound familiar?). The subject matter was a cow skull – no easy assignment for a first timer, geeze. The short of the story is that after much effort by Annie to sketch a skull in graphite, the teacher looked over her shoulder and exclaimed, “You’ve gotta be kidding, right?” This is amusing in the shock of absolute lack of empathy, understanding, or even good manners!  It’s like a TV moment; you’d see it in a sit com, but no one would believe that it could happen. Except anyone whose taken a lot of art classes. (It’s ok to laugh;  Annie quit the class, and has gone on to paint beautiful paintings!)

I’ve heard of teachers painting on student canvases without permission, ruining their work, even completely covering their work. And, much like Annie’s experience, I’ve heard of critical comments by instructors that have literally paralyzed student creativity. Like the breaking of a horse’s spirit.

An artist may be a brilliant painter, but not a good teacher or communicator. Artists may take up teaching for all kinds of reasons especially in today’s economy. Ultimately there should be only one true reason to teach: to inspire others. A teacher must have limitless compassion for the student and a true desire to see that person create joyfully. If you don’t have that kind of commitment to the student, you should honestly stay in the studio and continue to create your own work. Students tell me that I have endless patience, but I never feel impatient. Patience never crosses my mind. I am too focused on what is best for my student to consider any other option. Admittedly, I teach very small classes so I have an advantage here, but any good teacher should have similar intentions.

So, I have written a letter from Student to Teacher. Feel free to copy it if you wish and use it at will. Hand it out on your first day of class. Adapt it as appropriate. And let me know any of your own stories, good and bad, about “Art Class.” My next blog will have a letter from Teacher to Student….stay posted!

Dear Teacher,

I am so excited to be here in this class. Excited, nervous and scared. I have always wanted to create and I am now finally getting the chance. The art store was a small piece of heaven on earth: colors and textures and blank papers full of potential. I have all of my supplies and can’t wait to begin.

I hope I fit in. I don’t know any of these other students and they are probably all really good. I can see that you know many of them and they all seem to be friends. Please introduce me and make me feel welcome. Please ask that your students each share in the creative process.  I am nervous and don’t want to intrude.

I know this may sound silly, but it took a good deal of courage to come here. By being in a class, I will be creating in front of other people and exposing my work (my self) to judgment.  I am not a weak person, but this idea scares me. I am not confident in my abilities as an artist and I am not ready to be judged by others. Please give me words of encouragement, as the slightest doubt of my ability may crush my spirit. You will know if this happens, as I will not have the courage to return to class.

I’m ready for what ever you tell me, and your choice of words really, really matters. I respect you as an artist and I know that you are talented and knowledgeable about your craft. Your praise means more to me than you will ever know. I will remember your words for years to come. I realize that my work needs criticism in order for me to grow as an artist, but please be gentle and mindful of your comments. I will remember your words for years to come.

Thank you for your patience and generosity of spirit in sharing your knowledge. These qualities are paramount in a teacher. If you are patient with me I will absorb your knowledge as fast as I am able.

I am ready now to create.

Yours truly,

My Creative Self

 

 

 

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Working with Photographs

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Five Elements to Consider When Selecting a Reference Photograph for Figurative Work

Sea Glass

Sea Glass

A photograph should be considered a “jumping off point” to create your own image.

Many artists work from photos collected over the years. Sources can include our own photographs (ideal), magazines, books, and the internet. I must emphasize that the intention is never to copy the photo directly, but to use it as inspiration to create our own work; important not only for copyright reasons, but also artistic integrity. Working from a photograph is always tricky because we tend to get into details and end up “copying” the photograph, which was not at all the original intention. The photograph that you work from can make a big difference in the process and there are some things to look for and also to avoid when selecting an image to work from.

1. A Good Gesture

A good gesture can make a painting.  A gesture that I respond to may be different than what you respond to, but it is important for the artist to “feel the pose.” You should feel yourself in that gesture and relate to it in a personal way. This doesn’t mean that you actually have to create the gesture yourself. There are plenty of dancers (for instance) that I couldn’t possibly emulate, but their pose may be perfect for my painting.

2. Visibility

Ideally, it’s nice if you can see the limbs of the figure in your photo, at least to some degree. In other words, if the figure (or parts of it) is in so much shadow that you can’t really see what the arms and legs are doing, it may make the process more difficult. All of this depends on what you are trying to say with your painting. If you want your figure all in shadow in your work, it may be fine. But if you just can’t see how she’s sitting on the chair, it may make your task a bit harder, depending on your skill level. (The better you can draw the figure, the easier it gets!)

3.Place

In selecting your photo, are you responding to a sense of place surrounding the figure? Are you reacting to a romantic beach scene; a sunlit window? There are pros and cons to selecting a figure based on her surroundings. Let’s address the cons first. When a student uses a photograph containing a strong sense of place I see the greatest tendency to directly copy the photograph. If you intend to paint the figure strolling on the beach that the original photo portrays, then all is well. BUT if you intend to abstract the figure, interpret and place her in her own space you should use caution when selecting an image with a “pretty landscape” or “romantic interior.”

However, on the flip side, these “backgrounds” can give you just that “jumping off point” to explore your own work. A chair can be re-interpreted; blinds become vertical or horizontal patterns; a vase becomes a curved shape.

Final words on place: the figure is paramount. Make certain that you are selecting your photo for the figure and not the “background.”

4. Face

Are you selecting the figure because of the expression or emotion portrayed in the face? Is the pose or gesture ultimately about the face? Unless you want to become a portrait painter and want to paint the facial features, again, use caution here. In my figurative work, I want the painting to be about the figure-gesture, not about the face. The more detail applied to the face of a figure painting, the more the focal point (focus, attention) centers on the face as opposed to the figure as a whole. When choosing a photograph just be aware of how you want to handle the face.

5. Light

A sense of light on your figure in your original phototgraph can really give you a jump-start.  Even very abstracted figurative paintings often have a sense of light within the composition. The indication of light (the use of value and color temperature contrasts) can give your figure a sense of three dimensions (modeling) and give the painting depth. When learning to paint figures, however abstract, the manipulation of  “light” within your canvas is a very important skill to master. The more experienced painter will know how to manipulate the sense of light on the canvas, so light in the original photograph becomes less necessary. And since every rule is meant to be broken, I need to add that not every painting needs a sense of light, but if you are just beginning this process, it may make your life easier.

These are five elements to consider when selecting a photograph with a figure as reference material.  If any photo catches your eye, I recommend “collecting it” immediately and judging it later. Keep a constantly evolving stockpile of photographs to rummage through. An image may strike you today that you passed over yesterday.

Have Fun and Keep Painting!


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Paint What You See and Not What You Know Part II

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Morning Cup O' 20 x 20

If you continue down the path of fine art for very long, there will come a time when just “accurately representing” the coffee cup is no longer of interest.  You will have painted so very many cups, pears, flowers, chairs, and eucalyptus trees that “accurately representing” them will no longer compel you. Abstract artists will find that “Expressionism”, or “Cubism” or other “ism’s” are just not fulfilling when imitated. You will want to actually “say” something about the objects you paint. You will want to “say” something with your paintings. You will want to truly OWN your work.

Definitions and explanations here get a bit slippery. But see if any of the following sound familiar or ring true to you:

You want to:

•  Capture the essence of the object or place.

•  Indicate a feeling.

•  Create a Mood.

•  Show the “true” object.

•  Paint an emotion.

•  Paint any of the above with no object represented (abstract).

•  Make up your image (representational or abstract) entirely.

•  Paint something no one has ever seen.

•  Paint in a “style” that no one has ever seen.

You are ready to Paint What You Know and Not What You See. You are ready to put yourself into the work, to say, “ this is my view of a coffee cup, the tea pot, the world.”

Side Step:  OK I need to include a few points here, lest I hear grumbling…

1. You will always be creating your own view of the subject matter from day one. (Thus the class where everyone is painting the same thing but all of the paintings look different.) However, the difference here is that you are conscious of your work and its outcome.  You are paying more attention to your painting and your creation than to the original subject.

2. These are concepts for both realist and abstract artists.

3. As a matter of fact, these concepts apply to all creative forms. The pianist learns the scales to improvise. The knitter learns the stitches to create a design of her own. The photographer learns the correct F stop to then manipulate the image, etc. etc.

4. Art created this way can be painted, sculpted, written at any “level”.  You do not have to be an “advanced” artist. It just seems that often this approach to our art occurs after some time at it. After we have worked through “the scales” and they become part of us. Not always, there are always exceptions (Mozart), but often.

And once you travel down this new path, you will see your art (and other’s) in a whole new light. Originality and expression combined with the skills developed from “practice” (all those paintings, drawings, mounds of clay, that led you to this point) will become the true test of an artist’s ability. We know these works of art intuitively when we see them. We know them at the gut level and at an emotional level. Whether it is a Rothko abstract, a Mozart sonata, an Ansel Adams’ moonlit valley, a Rodin figure, or Haystacks and Water Lilies (you know the ones).

Both “Painting What You See and Not What You Know” and “Painting What You Know and Not What You See” are equally valid and necessary. If you feel that you are learning to “Paint What You See and Not What You Know” and that the reversal seems confusing at best, have no worries. Travel happily on your path and create away, experiment, play and create as much as you can. If you create long enough, you will find the other road (or it will find you).

If you have found that you are “Painting What you Know and Not What You See” (or are ready to), travel happily on your path and create away, experiment, play and create as much as you can.  Look to your work to tell you what direction to follow. What gives you the most pleasure? What do you want to create? Try not to edit your immediate answers, but instead, “paint (create) faster than you can think.”

Let me know where you are creatively!

 

 

 

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Paint What You See And Not What You Know Part I

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Morning Coffee 3

For those of us working in two dimensions beginning artists are, typically, interested in realism; not always, but often.  (Abstract artists, bare with me.) Typically, most art classes for beginners teach painting by using still lives to “copy.”  There is nothing wrong with this approach. While we learn to use our medium, we can objectively gauge our progress by comparing our painting to the original image. This method measures both the development of drawing skills as well as the evolution of the knowledge of the medium.

In order to accurately “portray” a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional canvas we must learn to Paint What We See and Not What We Know. For any of you unfamiliar with that phrase, let me briefly explain.

If I tell you to draw a coffee cup from memory, you will create whatever image of a coffee cup that you have stored in your brain. (The cup may or may not be “realistic” depending on your drawing skills/experience). If I place a cup in front of you and tell you to draw it you will do one of three things:

1.  Look at the cup, but draw the image in your head anyway. (Painting What You Know and Not What You See).

2.  Actually look at the cup and draw the shapes that you see in front of you, ignoring the fact that these shapes and lines make a coffee cup. (Painting What You See and Not What You Know)

3.  A combination of 1 and 2.

Most people will do #3. When you are trying to draw something accurately and it doesn’t “look right” on your paper/canvas, you have not truly drawn what you see.  It often takes a teacher or someone with a “trained eye” to help you learn to see the true shapes as opposed to those shapes from your head.

Morning Coffee 1

A coffee cup is a simple example, but imagine an intricate landscape or a portrait where the shapes become more complicated. In order to re-create an “accurate representation” of “things” on the canvas, we must learn to see accurately. We must break down our subject matter into shapes and possibly line, and actually learn to ignore the “thing” of the subject itself. (Yikes, that’s a mouthful!)

How about: forget that you are painting a coffee cup. You are painting an oval, a teardrop, a triangle with a rounded/flattened bottom., an arched rectangle, etc. With practice we learn to actually ignore the subject matter as a “thing”, and look at shapes, both positive and negative shapes, as equals.

The more we look, the more we learn to truly see. Numerous additional skills are developed over time, including accurate value and color judgement, perspective, etc.(which I won’t go into here).

Abstract artists need to learn most of these skills as well, even if their work is not “object oriented” (which means painting a “realistic object”).  In an abstract piece, both shapes and color theory play an extremely important role as you might imagine.

An important note here is that every individual learns these skills at a different rate. For some, perspective will come easily, and for others it may be a continual challenge. Some artists see color values right away and others work on seeing values for a lifetime. You may understand the concept of shapes right away, but find it difficult to apply. How we SEE is part of our own unique self! It may seem frustrating at times, but everyone will have her own challenge in creating.

So here’s the kicker….

Just when you thought you had it down, you nailed the “Paint What I See and Not What I Know”, you perfected the values, colors and shapes. The cup looks like you could pluck it off the page and chug the latte… you discover the next truth: now you have to learn to do the exact opposite,  “Paint What You Know and Not What You See.”

What the Frank is she talking about?   Stay tuned for Part II….

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Workshop Daze or How Three Days of Intensive Painting Can Really Make a Difference

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Day 1, Playground

I just completed teaching a three-day painting workshop with my good friend, fabulous painter, and wonderful teacher, William Rushton. The focus of the class was “The Figure in the Landscape,” which included a model in outdoor settings. So the students had all of the delights of plein air painting (wind, on-lookers, wet grass, sun, uncooperative easels, etc.) along with the challenges of painting the figure – A workshop not for the faint at heart.

The concept of the class was to take the figure and her surroundings as starting points for the painting; to use the information around us to create an interesting painting, but not necessarily to be literal. A fence may turn into a vertical pattern of stripes. A tree may become a cool dark shape in the background. For three days in a row, 5 1/2 hours each day, our stalwart students worked incredibly hard, responding to all of our challenges. They created paintings using many of the following concepts (not all at the same time, of course):

Paint two paintings at the same time.

Paint with your left hand.

Paint no local color.

Paint with a paper towel (yup you got that right…oil paint using a paper towel, not a brush, try it!).

Use a really big bad (i.e. uncontrollable) brush.

Exaggerate a feature of the model. Distort proportions on purpose.

On the first day we commandeered a swing-set at our local park. Imagine a dozen painters, with hats, easels, et al., scattered in a playground facing a model posing on a swing. You’ve got the picture. (Yes, we had to persuade a handful of children that the slide was much more fun on that particular day!)

Day 2

The second class was held in downtown Redwood City, and “urban setting.” The model posed in front of a retro-movie theatre.  The third day was a café scene, again a very public setting, with so much to paint we hardly needed a model.

The results of the class were truly outstanding. What we, as teachers, encouraged was for the artists to really experiment and play; to search for accidents on the canvas; to create surprises and most importantly to RESPOND TO THE PAINT ON THE CANVAS not just the original subject matter.  By the third day every artist was doing just that.

Day 3

Immersion in your art can bring big jumps in your creative awareness and skills. I encourage you to take a workshop, or an intensive class, and if you can’t do that, try giving yourself the gift of three days in a row of creating. Whatever your medium, immerse yourself in creating with no distractions for three days. Give yourself permission to play, experiment, make “crappy” paintings. The goal here isn’t a masterpiece (definitely not a masterpiece), it’s to allow yourself time to do what you love.

Be sure to let me know your results!

 

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Why do you LOVE that painting?

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

Sway, oil painting, figurative

Sway

 

 

 

 

 

The Meaning Of Paint.

What gives a painting soul? What makes one painting of a chair just a rendering and another an expression of the artist? Why do I like my painting of this apple but not that one?

Clearly these are ongoing questions that all artists face. Each of us has to discover the answers that resonate in tune with our own sense of life and art. This may sound a little overwhelming, too serious or too esoteric, but actually, you’ve probably already started on this path.

Along with the emotional, gut-reaction to a painting like, “Oh my gosh, I LOVE this!!!” there are actual concrete concepts for helping you make “learned” decisions and choices. (These are really basic, about three years of art history courses wouldn’t hurt either…next lifetime). It may go without saying that the following is my personal bias on the subject. You may (or may not) agree, and you may add some concepts of your own, but hopefully you will begin to see and understand what YOU respond to in art.

Composition: Even in abstract paintings, composition is important. Think of it as balance. A painting needs balance to stand up to years of scrutiny and to keep singing its song.

Light: I believe that a painting needs a sense of light, even if it says, “I am about an absence of light.” (OK, now if that isn’t an artist talking?) But really…just think of a really dark, depressing Rothko. He was creating a mood with color, or lack thereof in this case, and value; thus a sense of light. Light is much easier to see and understand in realist paintings. Watch for light and how it affects you in a painting.

Color: Actually I think that color may be a subset of light. There are some pretty emotional, gut wrenching paintings with very little color, and mostly value, thus the light thing. But I do know that color hits the emotions faster than just about anything else when looking at a painting.

Value: You guys know all about value by now. (And if you don’t, it’s a topic for another blog!) I’m putting grouping value under light, for the same reasons as color. After all, what is light but value?

Texture: The longer I look at art, the more I react to oil paintings that “show the paint,” thick, juicy paint. Without a doubt, thousands of paintings express their souls and the hearts of their makers with very thin glazed paint. Vermeer’s work “glows” (that light thing); Rembrandt, Goya, and traditional Masters old and new painted layers upon layers to achieve a rich depth. Both thin-traditional and thick-more-modern layering techniques are an expression of paint and soul.  Which do you respond to more, thick goopy paint, or glazed layers?

Artist Intent: Probably the most important concept of all, the artist must be saying something with his work. This concept is the hardest to critique. The artist’s idea does not have to be political or maudlin. The expression can be something as simple as the quality of the light that day, or a mood, or the curve of a model’s back. As a viewer, however, you will feel it in the work. Ultimately this quality gives the painting soul. A great example of “Artist Intent” could be seen at our classes in October. One exercise required the students to express a mood with their simple paintings of a chair. When they concentrated only on color (eg. a cool chair) the paintings became renderings. When I pushed them to focus on a feeling or mood, the paintings came alive. It was not at all important that the chair was drawn in perfect perspective, the feeling was what counted.

Composition, Light, Texture and Artist Intent…four concepts to stir those creative juices and to get you to understand why Grandma Moses can be the cat’s pajamas, a good Kinkade is only that, and why your own masterpiece is just around the corner.

 

 

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What’s a Webinar?

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona

 

Melinda, Beckett and Toaster

If you’ve never participated in a Webinar, let me tell you they are really quite fun. Once you register for one, you get a link emailed to you. A few minutes before the webinar begins, click on the link and you will be led through a series of steps to join the event. At the designated time you will hear the host start talking and a screen, typically some kind of slide show, will appear on your computer!

 

This week I am hosting my Webinar about Open Studios on June 28th at 4 pm pdt and July 2nd at 9 am pdt.  I have lots of colorful slides with great visuals to both entertain and educate you about the ins and outs of hosting an Open Studios Event. (OK, this is kind of a shameless plug, which I promise not to do too often.)

Everyone who has taken this class has been truly happy with the information. I have something for everyone, beginners to experienced participants. I hope that you’ll join me, as I’d welcome your questions and input.

The link to the registration page is over on the right-hand column. I hope to “see” at the webinar!

Melinda

p.s. Don’t worry, I can’t really see you, so it’s ok to participate in your jammies!  :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Color You Never Thought Of

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona
Oil painting of woman

Afar

The other day a student was working on an abstract and said, “I wish I had a new color; a color I haven’t seen.”

Some days, reds, yellows, blues and all the secondaries are just, well, limiting. One of the great “secrets” of good painters lies in their mud – the greys – the mixed up, left-over paint that can transform a painting into the sublime.

We find out pretty early on in painting, that all color is relative. Fire-Engine-Red only looks bright if the colors around it are less intense.  Bright colors read brighter when paired with duller more “greyed-out” colors. Just like light colors read lighter when paired with darker values, all basic painting 101 concepts.

But just how much have you experimented with those greys, dull blues and greens, and neutrals with no names? To make your “clean” colors sing, you need a great chorus of greys to support them.

We routinely mix complements to create grey colors, blue and orange, yellow and violet, etc. I encourage you to start grabbing colors from your palette that you would never normally put together and mix away. Don’t fall off your artist’s stool, but try mixing in black as well. I’d attempt to give you suggestions, but the surprise is in the discovery of colors that “you haven’t seen” or, at least, can’t imagine or predict. You can really get excited, by mixing these combinations directly on your canvas in thick, slurpy paint.  I can pretty much promise you that you will begin to come up colors that you can’t imagine or have never thought of. These greys often produce an ethereal quality to a painting that predictable colors just can’t do on their own.

S.C. Yuan was a master of greys as is Bill Rushton. Yuan would call his mud, “liquid gold.” At the end of a painting session, scrape your palette and keep that left over paint – your mud. Think about “controlling your muds.” I tend to keep my reds out of other colors so that I end up with blue-green muds and violet muds or specifially red muds, avoiding the “poi-mud” (a pinky/purple/dead skin-color that looks like the Hawaiian food, poi) which I am not fond of.  But, hey, it could be great for someone else!

Your challenge for your next painting session: Create a color (at least one) that you have “never thought of.”  Have fun!!

 

 

 

 

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No Masterpieces: Tips on Getting Started

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona
Graffiti Girl

Graffiti Girl

You don’t need to paint a masterpiece everyday. You don’t need to paint good paintings all of the time. As a matter of fact, if you are paintings good paintings all of the time, you aren’t learning a darned thing. Take the pressure off yourself. Play a little. As Bob Burridge says, “Give yourself permission to fail, to create,” to do whatever it takes to get started.

Here are just a handful of tricks to get you going:

1. Paint on (gessoed) paper. This is a great way to loosen up; forget the canvas and experiment on paper.

2. Copy another artist’s painting. Tried and true, it’s been going on for years. See what you can learn from copying.

3. Paint a really bad painting on purpose. See just how lousy you can make it. Later use it as an under-painting (oil and acrylic artists). You can actually do several of these to just loosen up. Who knows, you may discover a new way to paint?

4. Paint a really simple object, like a coffee cup, ten times, a little series. Use different colors, lighting, etc. Don’t spend time finding the perfect subject, just grab a mundane object and begin!

5. Paint a piece in black and white. Study the values. Black and white paintings can actually be pretty nifty.

6. “Prime” a canvas. In other words, paint a painting on a canvas that you know will be an under-painting. Create a work that you have no intension of considering a finished piece, so that you “release” yourself from the concept of completing a “good painting” today. You are only painting “under-paintings” today. You may want to keep your paint a little on the thin side for this one.

7. Pick a number and use it as a theme. Try studying the number 4 (for example) and create a painting around the number 4.

These are just a handful of ideas. There are infinite possibilities! Let me know how you “Get Started!”

 

 

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Where do I begin?

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Melinda Cootsona
Women In Pashminas

Women In Pashminas

Anyone who approaches any kind of artistic endeavor, whether sculpture, painting, photography (or knitting), will soon find that age-old question staring them in the face, “Where do I begin?”

How many times have we heard in galleries and museums, “I could paint that,” or, “Honey, you could paint that.” As a matter of fact, I can remember my own mother telling me the same thing throughout the years. Well, yes, many times I could have created the image my mother scoffed at, but I didn’t. The other artist did. Which is my point. The artists we see in galleries, magazines, etc. create, period.  Sometimes it’s average; sometimes we wince, and sometimes we wonder aloud, “Why do I bother, when these other artists are so incredibly gifted?”

Once I was going to plant a vegetable garden.  I bought some wood to create a large planter, and some soil to amend the dirt. I had read about mulching and turning the soil, preparing it to perfection to achieve the ultimate vegetables.  All of these steps I had to go through before I could even think about planting any seedlings.  My father came over one day, and I explained all of this to him, proudly showing off the plain, corded-off dirt, for my future garden to be. He said, “Why don’t you just plant it?” Well, who can predict when life-changing events will come along?  Just like that…”Just plant it.”  I did.  And the vegetables grew, delicious, juicy and fresh.

Then I discovered painting, and I “needed” a studio.  I envisioned skylights, work-surfaces and about five hundred square feet.  And I thought, “Why don’t you just plant it?” Van Gogh did not have a perfect studio. I started painting without a studio, and, I suppose, the rest is history.

Now I think of that phrase often.  It has become a life motto whenever I’m about to start on a new project, which, on the surface, seems to need all kinds of preparation.  Can I just start it?

Which brings us back to, “Where do I begin?” The most important concept is that you do begin. God knows it’s not easy, at least not always, and it’s A LOT easier said than done. But, I guarantee that once you get started painting you will begin to think of more and more subject matter. More ideas flow, and more things will excite you. But you’ve got to start somewhere; as my Dad said, “Just plant it.”

Tips on getting started in my next blog.

 

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