I'm taking a painting class for the month of July and it has been the most interesting experience. I haven't been in a bonafide art class since, um, 7th grade, so I'd forgotten how it felt to make art in public. To have your teacher walk around the room and pause behind you and watch for a moment. This, admittedly, gives me the urge to stop and ask if I'm doing it right but I'm trying to control that impulse, haha. She has been very helpful and specific in her suggestions, but I've noticed she doesn't take away the process of learning from any of us. If you ask her something, she'll answer, but she won't take your brush and shake her head and say, 'no, no, no, this is how you're supposed to do it.' Granted, what's funny is I'm so completely clueless as to the process of painting that I happily gessoed a completely white board the other day and then realized, ohhhhh, you're supposed to gesso the board if it was already pre-painted.I'm learning how incredibly meditative and patient painting is. It is so SLOW. Stroke after stroke. Mixing a color, running out, mixing it again. Building upon paint and color to make a picture. I'm so used to fast projects that have a quick and clear end that this has been a different experience. I do like it, though. We are all lost in our thoughts and the music playing on the radio as we quietly add color to our little canvas worlds.
