Painting
Last semester, I declared a Studio Art major along with my Psychology major. I was a bit late to the art game because of my own hesitancies. But, I was finally willing to show some confidence in my art and I finally understood that being an art major doesn’t mean I have to know how to draw, paint, screenprint, or sculpt. It means I’ll learn and try.
This semester, I’m in the basic painting course and it’s been a journey.
Trying new things always gives me mixed feelings, but I’ve started to notice the lessons new things teach me.
Other than learning how to paint and where to put it on the blank canvas, I’ve realized two little things about learning a new art medium.
The first is new respect and admiration for artists in that medium. Before this class, I could look at a painting and stand in awe. But now, being able to empathize with the artist who probably mixed their colors over and over again just to get the perfect shade of red or green-blue creates a special relationship with the artwork.
The second is a realization that the barrier I put up between myself and other artists isn’t as big as I’ve made it to be. The barrier built by the times we’ve all said, “I can’t do that” from years and years of seeing such beautiful art and never actually picking up a paint brush to try and keep trying.
Now, I understand that I’m not the next Picasso or Pollock, but I think 12 year old me would be surprised that one day I would sit in my room and paint a blue, reflective teapot and actually be able to tell what it is. I also think that a lot more people can do a lot more than they think they can.
My painting professor always tells my class to be brave and not afraid to go in and tackle the painting. We can always go back and paint over it again if we mess up,
but trying and failing are always apart of the first step.~kj