Thursday, August 6, 2015

teaching is learning

we are at the end of our second week of the beginning watercolor class that i am teaching at the studio gallery 1311, here in la crosse. i think the students are doing quite well but they, of course, are having other thoughts. the trick will be to get them over this touchy time where their aspirations are ahead of their abilities. we had a long talk of what it takes is lots and lots (and lots) of practice and painting. someone once told me that one could not even begin to consider themselves remotely adequate as a watercolor painter in terms of technique until an acre of paper had been covered......front and back! so, we had a little pep talk at the end of the last session along with an admonition that there be some practice at home in between sessions. this went along with the notion that comparing one's own work with another is not useful. compare one's own work today with one's work from yesterday. there is a useful maneuver.

the last thought i will share before i regale you with photos of the last teaching session is that the teacher always seems to learn more than the students in a learning situation. i can't enumerate all the little things i have learned and re-learned whilst preparing for and actually teaching this class. i feel fortunate that these 8 folks have enough faith in me to teach them something to keep showing up and paying out hard-earned coin. i have to deliver. in the process i am one of the greatest recipients.

so, with that here are the photos of the last teaching session showing the students working on their first still life painting. the instructor is where he should be.......wandering from student to student and not idling away in a some sort of fugue state at his own personal easel.










3 comments:

  1. A most interesting still life composition...I enjoy your portrait work and hope you continue to post your figure paintings as well as your well versed comments. Good luck on your teaching career. Thank you

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  2. thanks, timbo. i certainly will continue with postings of my figurative work. i am finding with the teaching schedule and other outside activities athat i am not getting much personal painting done. ah well, there is the fall comingnup.

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  3. Hi Bob. You have some very lucky students , and I am sure that they will make fast progress under your very competent guidance ! They are so lucky !

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