A GLIMPSE INTO MY DRAWING CLASSES
Hello there and happy fall, I hope you are doing well. As school has started back up this year, I have been working hard on taking a more academic approach to teaching the basics of drawing. This summer I was so inspired by the beautiful flowers and houses to paint their lovely colors. It is interesting how we change with the seasons isn't it?
I have been hard at work on pet and people portrait commissions and teaching both still life and portrait drawing. The way to master realism is to always master the basics. Here are some drawing exercises completed over the past few months.
How I like to teach all subjects is to break down the process into small steps that can be repeated. Realism is not something that can be mastered readily or easily, it takes time and consistent repetitions to be effective.
Recently, a friend of mine who is the head of the Heartland Art Club in Saint Louis asked me to write an article as to why people should commission and purchase original artwork. I thought you might like to read those five reasons here.
FIVE REASONS TO PURCHASE AND COMMISSION ORIGINAL ARTWORK
- The signs of a healthy and alive culture is one that values beauty, creates beauty, and purchases beauty. An economy where workers are paid fairly to create high quality work for clients is a winning situation for the artists and customers. People are meant to work with their hands and this is a fulfilling task. We should support the labors of those who work with their hands.
- Artwork is educational. Well-made art displays excellent craft, logic, order, structure, and reason. Art that follows these rules is beautiful to look at and leads to an appreciation of life and the created world. Art also inspires deeper contemplation.
- Beauty appeals to not only our reason, but also our emotions. Beauty is inspiring and hopeful. We live in a world full of sadness and despair. Art that represents what is good and true and beautiful is both emotionally and spiritually fulfilling.
- Art calls people to a higher version of themselves. Perhaps seeing an illustration from a beloved book inspires heroism. Perhaps a child sees a beautiful painting in the home and one day becomes an artist or art teacher. Art helps with the development of people in their respective vocations.
- Art that is commissioned privately for homes: specifically portraits of pets, children, and homes is a meaningful way to document the transience of life. Much in the same way that wedding photography provides a family heirloom to be treasured for generations, so also portrait painting preserves the memory of a loved one. This is my personal favorite reason for making portraits, because I treasure my own family. Since my family means so much to me, I want to do my best to represent your family memories accurately so you may enjoy your own personalized artwork for many years to come.
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