Judy Leila Schafers Fine Art

I am generally not the nervous type. Lately, though, there have been a few butterflies fluttering about. They say that this is a good thing. Trying something new is not unusual for me. In fact, it is rare that I follow any routine for very long. But this experience will be quite different for me.

Very, very early next Wednesday morning, I will be travelling to Colorado, all on my own. Now you might not think that this is an epic undertaking except I have never gone anywhere outside of Central Alberta without at least one other person from my family. Finding my way through an unfamiliar airport and then the 45 minute drive outside of Denver….. all by myself. If my daughter, Jilene can travel all over the world by herself, surely I can do this! It is obvious that she did not get the courageous travel bug from me…..

I will be meeting many other artists in Golden for an art related workshop. Adding to my uneasiness is the fact that I have never met any of them before. I am going with the intention to make many new friends and learn everything I possibly can. My shyness in new group situations might make it difficult to participate fully, at least at first.  I am expecting that it will be a lot of fun once I get there.

Coming home after an action packed few days will be somewhat interesting. My flight leaves Denver at 8 am which means I will have to be checked out of the hotel by 4:30 am and I am so NOT a morning person!
(Photo above Thanks to Jilene Schafers)

Something I could not have imagined 19 years ago! Painting in public at the Painters Guild Show in the Lobby of St. Albert Place.

In April, I entered the Painters Guild Show and Sale for the 37th time. I pondered how much my horizons had broadened since nervously joining the guild in 1994. They were a small, but welcoming group that made it easier to gain confidence. Networking with other artists is important if one dreams of becoming a successful artist, so I felt that this was a necessary step.

I grew from sitting on my hands during meetings and leaving quickly afterwards, to serving on boards, to speaking at meetings! By volunteering my time in many of these supportive groups, I learned about the business side of art as well as the not for profit organization side. They all afforded amazing growth opportunities in every aspect of art making and presentation. Joining in on critique sessions, participating in numerous group shows, observing others create and present their artwork as well as helping with the myriad of details that go into producing an exhibit are a short list of valuable experiences gained on this path.

Not only have life-long friendships been cultivated as a result, but a huge network of opportunities to show my work has opened up. I would not have been able to successfully create my Open Studio Weekends without all of this experience, nor had the courage to approach galleries. It was my university education, in a round about way.

I believe that by choosing this road I gained knowledge that university could not have given me but will always wonder how my career and work would have been different had I taken formal art education.

For the recent workshop and classes that I instructed this spring, I chose this pansy as one of the projects for my students to work on. I thought it was colorful and dramatic, yet simple enough to work well for demonstrating layering techniques. And perfect to help usher out the winter doldrums.

Fairly new to teaching, I learned something with this one myself.  Next time, I should paint the image beforehand and be better acquainted with how to best approach each part, discovering what the more challenging stages might be.  I may have saved students some frustration as I would have been better able to explain these areas more clearly. Having a completed piece for students to examine would be helpful.

Because the photograph shows a busy background, it would have been better to spend more time explaining how to eliminate unnecessary details.  The shadows on the petals presented a problem for some, especially with color mixing.  I had forgotten how difficult mixing some colors can be. A formula  would have been helpful.  Many more layers were needed than anticipated, which I realized since completing the painting after the classes were long over.

Several areas of instruction seemed to work well, such as the concept of using white under certain portions to achieve the vibrant pinks and purples and how to mix dark colors with out using black, to name a few.

Since a lot of understanding has been gained in doing this painting, I will probably use it again in other classes. Plus, this vibrant palette is a real joy to work with!

Do you think you would enjoy painting something like this?

It certainly seems to be true that as the student learns, so does the teacher. Recently, I have done more painting instruction than ever and thought it would be interesting to observe what I learned in the process.

The most intriguing observation has been that even if everyone works on the same project the result is always different. This is so fascinating! I also learned:

• That everyone hears, interprets and remembers points discussed and practiced differently
• That being open to others’ ideas and their responses to my instruction adds to  my learning and filters down
• That demonstrations are as important as student practice time
• That I need continued practice in communicating clearly 
• That students need play by play descriptions of why and what I am doing during demonstrations; they want clues about my thought process
• That teaching others to paint has made me dissect and question my own processes
• That I must not become attached to the outcome of the student’s project
• That patience for the learning process is something that students need to be reminded of often
• That even seasoned painters often come to class lacking a certain level of confidence
• That each person can earn a lot more if I take the time to watch them work, and am responsive to their difficulties
• That students need to be reminded often that it is ok to make mistakes and not let fear paralyse them
• That every stroke is an experiment
• That how little I really know 
• That just because some students are whining or very quiet, doesn’t mean they are not having fun!

I am positive that there is a lot more to learn! If you are an instructor, what would you add to this list?