Do you think you could learn to draw and paint? You bet, it is a learned talent. This doesn’t mean you will be a Rembrandt or a Monet. I think a little genius may be involved there, or at least an unusual level of passion. But, if you want to draw and are willing to learn, invest the time and energy necessary and you too can draw and paint.
My interest in art started in the second grade. Our teacher complimented Myra Gross and Linda Vandine on the wonderful way they colored the grass in the picture they had drawn. I decided right there I was going to learn how to draw and color my grass better than they did. Since I have come to enjoy, maybe the creative process of art and you can, too.
Reproducing an image accurately is a mechanical process and many of the methods have been used for centuries. But, the use of these methods or tools have been only recently discovered. For instance, in studying the paintings of Caravaggio, the figures on his canvases don't quite line up right when referenced with each other. It was thought that Caravaggio used some kind lens or mirrors to help transfer the images of his subjects onto his canvases. The time of day and the light available would affect the way each image was painted. Also, devices such as the Camera Obscura, have been used for centuries.
With that said, to become an outlier may require something extra. This is where superior devotion, passion and effort come into play. I believe the Van Gogh's, the Andrew Wyeth’s, and the Rembrandt's of the world may be a breed apart from the rest of us. Not many of us are willing to take on a lifetime of painting as Van Gogh, rarely sell paintings, then die in poverty. He only became recognized after his death as a great artist. For the rest of us we can have a great time expressing ourselves visually.
We can all enjoy the doing of art. Art is about what you enjoy. Dan Gregory’s books and sketches about life should be an inspiration for all of us. For me, it is about experimentation, exploration, pushing boundaries and recording experiences and history, etc. I just enjoy the creation process. It actually gives me kind of a high. Me an outlier? Probably never. But, that does not mean I cannot enjoy the process of creating. Each of us has talent. It can be creating furniture, chopping the top off a ‘37 Ford, planting a wonderful garden, or maybe painting a landscape. Creation is it’s own addiction.
There is always a different way.
There is always a better way.
Find it!
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