Nope. Let me explain…..
When I was in grade school, I took some art classes at the coolest place off of an alley. It was called Trimble Court. They had a shop, and, in the back, there were a couple of art rooms. This is where I first learned about shading and perspective. The teacher told me the faces I drew reminded her of Picasso, I think it was the oversized eyes. I remember that being my happy place.
Later was the splattering of Middle School art classes and then when I was a Senior in High School, I took an independent study art class. I threw clay (not well by the way), silk screened a shirt with a design I created, painted with tempera paints and acrylics, drew with charcoal and pastels. I had free range of the art room and again was in my happy place.
High School Art Class Tempera Paint
My Nana was a fine artist and I study her pieces mesmerized by her talent. She taught me figure drawing when I was 15 years old. I was a bit shocked when she had me draw a naked man to learn the proportions of the body. (Not a real naked man, by the way.) “But Nana!” “Oh, it is just the human body.” she replied.
Several years later my sister and I took some decorative painting classes, and I learned a lot about stroke work, shading, contrasting and complementing colors. I loved it and started teaching myself Rosemaling. Back to my Scandinavian roots I went.
Rosemaling welcome sign
The decorative painting classes lead me to teaching art out of my house and at a small local art supply store. Then who can stop there? I was hired to paint murals in people’s homes and that added a whole new dimension to my art, going from painting a wooden plate to a whole wall. Painting a wall added so much freedom and movement, so naturally I started painting murals in my home as well.
An article back in the day about my classes. I was painting a two-wall underwater mural here.
People also commissioned art pieces when they heard about me through word of mouth or saw one of my fliers. Back then we didn’t have Google, Facebook, etc. One of my proudest moments was when a couple of my students got together and painted several pieces and set up a booth at a festival.
Then life got busier with nursing school and raising a gaggle of children. I continued to paint, but also many other paths took over and the time left for art got smaller.
I never stopped painting and still had booths at a few local festivals, but life got busy, as life does.
A couple of years ago I came across an artist that painted more with a free flow – intuitive art. You start out not knowing what you want the end piece to look like, just moving the paint, adding layers and using a variety of tools. Now, I thought, how hard can this be…..well let me tell you, it is challenging! When you are used to having a destination with a painting and now you don’t, whew such a tug-a-war. I do love this way of painting and let me tell you, the things that immerge in the end always surprise me!
Activating the canvas.
I have played with watercolors, who are a beast of their own, but so fun. I must say mine never looks like the tutorial, and that is because she has fine-tuned her craft and I play. Let yourself play!
That leads to another obsession that started a year and a half ago. Eco Dyeing and Eco Printing. Oh, the thrill to unroll a piece of fabric that you dyed with flowers from your garden. What surprises emerge and there right before you, the color and print the flowers or foliage is left behind. It is a several step process to get to that point but oh so worth it.
Coreopsis Flowers from my garden.
After being bundled and steamed.
So, no I didn’t attend a formal art school, the closest I got was a drawing class in college.
However, do you know what, Anna Mary Roberson Moses, aka Grandma Moses, didn’t go to art school either. She started painting when she was 76 years old, doing hobby art up until that time. She only started painting folk art when she was unable to do her other artwork from the arthritis that settled into her hands.
Grandma Moses
So, let your mind wander and explore. There are so many artistic paths that you can journey down, and you never know, you might be the next Grandma Moses. OR, just create because it makes you happy!!