Seeing Through the Eyes of an Artist
Learning to paint is the art of learning to see through new eyes and recording what you see (rather than what you think you see).
We often think we know what something looks like, but it isn't until we examine it closely that we understand it enough to draw or paint it.
People are often surprised to hear me say, "Talent is way over-rated!"
Talent truly is a wonderful gift to be cherished, not to be wasted; and talent is not enough all by itself.
In order to make a difference in our lives, or our art, talent needs attention. It needs focus. It needs Persistence and Patience.
Most of all, talent needs Practice!
Practice is both a noun and a verb. We have a practice (noun) when we regularly set time aside to do a specific task. Then we practice (verb) that task.
Some people have a daily practice of praying or meditating. Others have a regular exercise practice.
Have you ever thought of setting aside 5 or 10 minutes a day to practice just looking at the world around you through the eyes of an
artist? You might be surprised by what you see.
I once had an 80-year-old gentleman in my watercolor class. Charlie was a retired, hard-working business and family man who had lived and worked in Honolulu all his life.
One night I took Bird of Paradise flowers for the class to paint. Although Charlie had seen these flowers his whole life, he had never really looked at them. When he started to paint the flowers he was stunned - he had not known they were orange until it was time for him to choose his color.
After that night, his back yard, and the world around him, opened up in Technicolor, like the way the Wizard of Oz became filled with color when Dorothy opened her eyes in the land of OZ.
To see the world with the eyes of an artist, make time to really look at the world. Then imagine the colors you would need to draw or paint it.
Sometimes when watching TV, I study the faces on the screen. I examine the facial structure and imagine the colors needed to paint the shadows around the eyes and mouth.
Even without the paintbrush in hand, my brain is preparing me for the next time I begin a painting.
You can do this too. Awareness is key and it's FREE. All you have to do is focus.
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Patrice Federspiel