A glimpse into the life and thoughts of an artist

Who knew painting rocks could be so much fun!

Last week I took the Hawaii Watercolor Society workshop with renowned instructor, Jan Ledbetter. Jan is a wonderful teacher filled with knowledge that she loves to share it with others.

It was fun to be a student again ... and a little uncomfortable to learn something new.

And that's the way it's supposed to feel!

When we take a class, we are stretching ourselves. We are learning someone else's thought process and, in this case, someone else's painting process.

Adults are so used to doing things well, that we often forget how long it takes to learn new things.

Do you remember how long it took you to learn to sign your name? Did you have a callus on your fingers from holding the pencil too tight? I did.

All that work sure paid off. Now I can write easily with a pen, a pencil, or even a brush. All because when I was little, I learned how to write the alphabet and to spell words.

We all know that learning doesn't stop when the final school bell rings.

Taking a class gives us the chance to take a step back from the whirlwind of everyday life. It allows us to focus more deeply, and it opens our mind to new processes.

Jan Ledbetter instructed us to paint figures from a handout onto the shape of a vase. This is my result.

This week, and probably for a while to come, I am focusing on the value structure of my paintings.

NO, I don't mean how honest my paintings are, or the price of my paintings. I am referring to the lights, mid-tones, and darks of my paintings.

We "read" values first, and color second. My friend Lee McVey likes to say, "Value does all the work and color gets all the glory."

When I think about life in general, this makes sense. After all, the things we value most shape our daily habits.

Yet it's rare for us to give our underlying values much thought. They are a part of us, woven into the fabric of who we are.

Checking in with our values, gives us the opportunity to make sure we are living the way we really want to live our life.

I value honesty and truth over lies; simplicity over complexity; growth over status quo.

If you value growth as much as I do, check out my next one-day Hide-N-Seek watercolor workshop. This will be a very special, intimate class in a new venue, the studio of my friend, Andy Kay.  

Andy's studio, Zen Hall, is located in Kaneohe. Six of us will gather on April 26th from 10am-3pm, lunch is included (supplies are not) for $145.

Please email me for more information: Patrice@artofaloha.com

 

As always I will be painting at all events, & have FREE postcards for you!

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A hui hou, 

 

 

  

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"I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain... Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at which is not easy." ~Milton Glaser