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Message
Posted
Wise words Robert, well said and we would all do well to heed them. Even so, I think in this case the gentleman sowed the seeds of his own discontent. It is clear from this post, and his posts in other threads that he believes the purpose of a forum is to create 'content' as nourishment for search engines. I rather believe that this forum is about the exchange of ideas, and I mean an exchange; what inspires people, how they view the work of others, a genuine, and may I say gentle, curiosity about other peoples approaches to art. If you join a group that clearly has that gentle curiosity but then insist that the 'rules' do not require you to engage in it, it is simply the wrong group for you. It has been kind of him to offer us advice on how the site and the forum should be run, and on what the 'rules' do and do not allow, and it may well be, that in some respects, he has more to offer us than we have to offer him. To focus on those areas, however, is to miss the point of this site and this forum. I think we should now offer you the prerogative of the 'last word' because we enjoy that as much as you do, and then get back to exchanging views on art and artists.Tony, I agree with you entirely 🙂
Posted
I sketched every day as a child, did some painting at school but our art teacher was not encouraging and disappeared for most of the lessons. I joined a small art group for carers of people with Alzheimers and learned to paint but this was disbanded. Our tutor set up her own art group and we meet weekly and encourage each others' work but we don't critique anyone's work. I expected this forum to be about the exchange of ideas and curiosity about others' work, as Robert said. I don't find this forum to be cliquish at all, quite the reverse. I don't always have much time to pop in and as a new member I've found people to be friendly and encouraging and prepared to offer advice when asked. I'm sure that will continue, I don't know anything about search engines and am really not bothered about them!
Posted
Given the direction this thread took, hopefully briefly, I feel a little awkward adding my history, but having made comments about engaging with the group, I feel I ought to add my background. Yes we did have art classes at school (for the first 3 years at a local grammar), but the art master simply sat us in front of easels, told us what to paint and by and large ignored us for the rest of a double period. My first real steps were as a student when I bought a set of basic oil pastels, some cheap coloured sugar paper and a bottle of turps from the local hardware shop. The few works that have survived have not aged well. Encouraged by a friend/colleague, I decided to take up 'proper' painting and chose acrylics. With a little research and help I chose a basic palette of two reds, two blues, two yellows, two earth colours and white. That was a few years short of half a century ago but I have stuck to the same format with only the very occasional purchase of others colours, never green, for specific needs. My real problem is periods in which 'the muse' deserts me, as has been the case for the last 3 years. I am a subscriber to 'The Artist', but I stick with this site and this forum because if I rediscover her anywhere, it will be here.
Posted
Despite the wobble in the middle, this topic has been very interesting. It’s good to know how people got to this point in their art career.
Tony, I’m also having a rather fallow period recently but now back in art group so things may pick up! I also have taken the Artist mag for many years though I sometimes struggle to read all of it. There have been some very good issues recently with some new names and I particularly like the gouache lady Manda.
Hope you find some inspiration soon Tony. I actually largely stopped painting for about 30 years between college and resuming, and I find that a recurring theme with many here.
Posted
I’m self taught too. Started painting when my two went off to university….ahem, 30 years ago. I have been on a couple of courses, each 2 days, at the Norfolk Painting School some years ago and, of course there have been various demos at my art club. Really though, it’s been a matter of reading and going to exhibitions etc. As to the art master at school, he used to vanish regularly into the stock cupboard for a fag….Today I have 2 to 3 hours to myself but I’ve got “ stage fright” again. I should stop this and go to paint!
Posted
I avidly drew and painted (poster paints) from a very early age and did the usual art classes at school. Was offered a place at art college but decided not to take it up, instead later doing a correspondence course in commercial art and design. Then gradually work, house, horses, dogs and husband took up all my time and I didn’t pick up a paintbrush again until I took early retirement and enrolled in a local watercolour class and joined my local art club. I love taking part in exhibitions and have been the club’s exhibition organiser for the past nine years. Joined POL in 2015 and haven’t looked back - grateful to everyone who has given me support and encouragement since then.
Edited
by Jenny Harris
Posted
Ah - poster paints-I remember them, lovely little pots! Like Marjorie, I feel I learn and get inspiration from exhibitions but of course these have been thin on the ground in the last few years. There are a few good ones in London now or soon, but every time I think of going there’s a train strike! Hopefully they will soon be over.
As someone else mentioned YouTube is good for learning as well, and a facility that we didn’t have years ago.
Posted
I did a 12 month Foundation Course in the local Technical college, some drawing, painting, printing and pottery for the first few weeks, and then I was selected or perhaps more accurately press-ganged into doing Fine Art Sculpture! Not for me so I left and that was the end of my art education.
Posted
Thank you to all who have seized this topic by the scruff of the neck, and dragged it back to the point. To those who have contacted me privately, I do understand the points you make, but I'm afraid I don't agree with them: responding to an angry man is usually fairly pointless, and on this occasion the angry man was provoked, for reasons I think inadequate. I agree with Denise that this Forum is not a clique - but I think we should be more careful about leaving that as a possible impression.
The interesting thing about the thread is the number of people who would describe themselves as self-taught: I wonder if any of us is REALLY self-taught: can you learn on the basis of nothing at all? I am not here to disparage art-college education, but - while I do think it'll take you longer to learn if you create your own learning module (as it were..) I also rather regret the academicization (new word?) of art learning: there are things I do not think can be taught. The great strength of a formal art education, though, is the contacts it helps you to make in the art world - even if I sometimes wonder if they're entirely good for students..... these are complicated issues!
Posted
I've never liked the term 'self-taught'. 'Taught' is the past tense, which implies it's done...finished. We all know that ain't so, for you never stop learning. But it's the term in common usage, so I'm stuck with it.
Beyond art lessons at school I've had no art training. Back in the 70's I signed up for art lessons at a college offering short evening classes in oils. It was to be ten lessons, I left after three. I felt the tutor was trying to make us paint like him. He brought a few of his own pictures in, and I didn't like them, didn't want to paint like that and left. Probably a bad decision, I may have learnt a few more bits of the practical stuff.
From a kid I've always liked to draw. I'd copy from comics, try to draw my own. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing you can always find time to draw...doesn't need much...a stub of a pencil, a scrap of paper, old envelope...you're in business. I've always looked at art books, and now we have the internet. When I look I'm seeing how the artists draw water with a pen...what marks did he/she make...the nitty gritty practical stuff...how has he/she drawn a hedge...how does he/she fill the space on the paper?
I don't think of myself as a painter...I'm someone who draws things. And I'm still learning, and hoping to improve. Running out of time now, maybe we never achieve this 'get better' thing we're after, but it's fun and frustrating trying.
(Degas on his deathbed 'Drat, I was just getting the hang of it.')