I remember going into my art class in high school thinking, “well isn’t this great? Here I am taking this art class, it’ll be an easy A and give me a chance to find my creative genius while I’m at it.” Boy was I wrong. Could it have been that I wasn’t that interested in art to begin with? I thought I knew plenty about artists and art history, was I artistically illiterate? The answers to these questions are both no. My expectations for the class were unrealistic for a high school elective. The class wasn’t that hard but was filled with endless boring history, unexciting projects, and Georgia O’Keefe. If anything I walked away from the whole experience knowing that if you want to get better at art, don’t waste your time with academics.
Now I know there are plenty of art students out there getting fancy degrees who would disagree with me. If art school is working out well for them, fine. Just remember I never had nor will have plans of making art my career. I was just interested in learning more ways to express myself through art. Therein lies the problem with art classes and academic curriculum in general: if it won’t allow you the freedom to find your own style it is a waste of time and money.
Art at a young age
When we grew up almost every one of us undoubtedly has picked up a crayon or pencil at some point and started drawing. Even the most artistically inept of us played with art at a young age. We begin as infants to grasp objects and wonder what we can do with them, and as toddlers we are given those thick wax crayons and some paper. Some psychologists say at that early stage we are mainly discovering texture and enjoy the way the crayon feels scribbling over the paper (and walls and anything else!). Eventually we discover we can recreate what we see.
What we as parents must remember to do is not to push the child but let him or her discover their talent naturally. Their art will progress as they begin to understand their surroundings better. They will eventually discover 3d and perspective. But not at first. In the beginning they create what they see as reality. They’re not stupid because they draw the figure inside a box to simulate a person in a house. In reality a person would truly be surrounded by walls, a floor, and a ceiling. This is much like ancient societies such as the Egyptians saw it.
One of the worst things to do is give them coloring books, or as they grow older paint by numbers books. There’s no real expression there. If you do, at least allow them to color outside the lines and draw what they want in the book. Unfortunately as we get older we are told to stay in the lines with all aspects of life so we end up, among other things, rule followers by design. Our 3rd grade Thanksgiving project is to copy your hand and draw a beak at the thumb and feet under the palm. I assume the purpose of this is to have turkeys taped to the hallways instead of the blobs the children might otherwise come up with. But the blob would have been their creation, not literally cookie cutter art. At that age students know what a turkey looks like. And sure it will be difficult to draw, but learning and developing are about the little hardships. Give the kids room. Encourage their creative expression, however it may look to you, at all costs. Picasso said, “All children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
A developing artist
People can discover art at any age or period in their life. One of my favorite examples of this is Wassily Kandinsky who didn’t even begin painting until his 40s, after he had decided to retire from a lucrative career as an attorney. Here is a successful career man coming out of the blue with his artistry (and beautiful I might add : he is one of the few abstract expressionists I actually like, but that is another story). Many, like Vincent van Gogh spent much of their lives attempting and failing before they turn to art. Some kids go to school for one thing such as business and realize their talent and switch gears to be a professional artist. At any point you can discover your creative genius.
I, for one, have always been interested in art and strive to get better the more I practice it. The drawback to the art classes I’ve taken is the fact that I was being spoon fed things I had no interest in. I don’t care about drawing a picture of my sneaker. I absolutely don’t want to draw a flower or some ridiculous thing, or memorize useless facts about artists I have no interest in. Come quiz time, all exams should be hands-on and not include paper work involving questions about dates. Art isn’t about exact dates.
Art history in itself can be pretty dry if you’re not into the artists or styles. I can remember my mom recently noticing how much I am into art history and remembering how much I hated it in 9th grade art class. It never occurred to me, but now I don’t even see it as “art history.” I just enjoy reading books about the art periods and people who inspire me. And that is exactly what you should do, find out who and what inspires you.
I’m learning of new artists all the time. As an avid museum goer, there is an endless opportunity to discover new artists and more art, with an infinite amount of resources at my disposal. If you want to learn more or to find your art, get out there. Pick up the Inquirer and find out what exhibitions are in your area. Go and see what interests you. As I’ve said before, most people have been spoon fed art that bores them so they have little interest in art in general. Bring a small notepad and a pencil, when you see a painting or sculpture that strikes you, write the artists name down and look them up later.
A transformation
If you take away with you one piece of advice here, think Nike. Just do it! Learn about it, take in as much as you can and practice, practice, practice. You never know until you try, don’t put yourself down, and absolutely do not listen to any negative criticism. There is a difference between being constructive and just putting someone down. People will appreciate your art and the effort you put into it. Experiment with different styles, emulate some famous or contemporary artists, and try to perfect your technique.
I recommend copying some of your favorite famous paintings. This is not paint by numbers mind you, don’t worry about getting it just perfect. In fact, paint the picture in your way, in the style of your choice. When van Gogh painted Millet’s “sower” he wasn’t trying to copy exactly, and he came up with all kinds of interesting sowers, painted in his expressive Impressionistic way. You can do this as a color exercise as well, attempting to match the colors in the painting. Don’t be afraid of stealing style from others who have forged the way. Remember the famous line, “I can see so far because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”
Eventually you’ll start seeing the world through painter’s eyes. As you advance and get to know your palette, ask yourself what hues you actually see and how you would mix them. Instead of just a blue car does it look like a cobalt, ultramarine, cerulean, Prussian, or phthalo blue? You’ll look at your dog and say he has burnt sienna eyes with patches of Naples yellow mixed with a little yellow ochre, and deep red in his fur, with a sheen of a little chromatic black mixed with Titanium White. You’ll never again look at a fox and think he’s just “red.”
Paint whatever you feel like painting, just do it as often as possible. Don’t ever do anything that bores you no matter what you think the benefit is. You’ll amass a collection, but don’t paint for quantity.
Before you know it you’re showing your work to everybody you meet. You’ll look at any painting and say it looks like a Homer, or Waterhouse, or has the style of Klimt or Schiele. And some day someone will see a painting and say “that looks like a [YOUR NAME HERE].”
Exercises
* Gather as much info as you can. Read articles, books, art blogs, and newsletters
* Get out there. Go to sculpture gardens, galleries, and museums that are a stone’s throw away from you that you never realized. If you live in a big city area you can never get bored with exhibits and galleries. By the time you have seen them all, there will be new work shown at the first places you’ve gone.
* Try different things, eventually you’ll find your niche, until then and even after the fact, do as much as you can. Make it a challenge: if you paint, sculpt and vise-versa.
* Read “Art and Visual Perception” by Rudolf Arnheim. It is a must read for anybody serious about getting into the visual arts. It is a half art, half psychology volume on how people perceive things in art. You will walk away with priceless knowledge on how to make exactly what it is you want to express.
* Look at the world with a palette in your mind.
* More advanced students will tackle the “Painting-a-day” exercise where every single day you paint a small canvas. This forces you to come up with new and exciting subjects and will do wonders on your skill level. Just look up any painting-a- day blog or website and go back a year and compare with their current work.
* Just do it!
So go out there and find yourself but be sure to share what you find. Contribute to the arts, create beautiful works and encourage others to follow suit. Until next time, take it easy.
