Everybody Is Self-Taught

And nobody is self taught

When I first started classes to get my fine arts degree, I told instructors, “I don’t care how others have done their course of study, I just want to learn painting techniques.”

I soon realized that, for me, it was impossible not to look at other artists in order to understand how to paint. In fact, I soon began examining paintings of other artists very closely.

No Man Is an Island

No matter how self-made someone claims to be, they have been influenced and supported by the culture they grew up in.

I recently read about a man who had been painting sporadically for twenty-five years. He had been stashing his fantasy surrealistic works in his attic/garage/closets, never showing them to anyone, and claiming to be self-taught. A friend of his became aware of this and talked him into a show, which will open in Atlanta next year. Some of his works were posted on social media. Turns out, this artist had been influenced by a number of consumer culture images. Unlike Dali, for example, this artist’s work contained images from pop culture.

“Self-made” is a crown that some people like to wear. However, maybe only babies, who haven’t been exposed to culture, get to wear that crown.

If You Don’t Do the Work

Even if a person has the greatest instructors known to humankind, if the person doesn’t put in the work, they will not learn.

Another man I came across told his story. He had been a carpenter and contractor. He said that growing up, his father had a one-half-inch tolerance when cutting lumber to build with. As an adult, he was shown how to get within a one-sixty-fourth tolerance, but it took him a year to “learn” the skill.

My Conclusion

No one is self-taught, but if you don’t put in the work to practice the craft, you have not learned much.

When I give workshops, there is only one thing that I can and want to give you, and that is the confidence to do it. I can’t teach you to paint. I can only show how I paint at any given moment. The rest is up to you to do it.

100 Portraits Update

I finished Portrait No. 18 yesterday. I post the paintings on my Facebook page. Not all of you who sent me images to paint have been posted yet. Here is a photo of my work so far; single images can be found on my Facebook page: Raven Waters.

I have collected about fifty images so far, so I can use more. Please note that my preference is a photo of YOU, sans sunglasses, and without a big smile. You may want to google “painting portraits” to get an idea of what kind of photo to send me. I have granted some exceptions, but I have also tried to steer people away from photos of their children and grandchildren. Photos of two or more people in a 10 x 8 painting are too many.

This might make a great, inexpensive holiday gift—a portrait of YOU, given to a friend or family member. I will try to get as many done and dried by the end of the year.

To restate my project: I am painting 100 portraits, 10 x 8 size, of my followers. If you like the painting, it is yours for free. Just send twenty dollars to cover shipping costs.

I may be able to fill in some wall space at a gallery for a while, but my plan is to do away with any unclaimed portraits, as I do not have the space to store them.

Join the Conversation

Have you ever known someone who seemed truly self-made?

Farm Update

The winter garden is in full swing, with cabbages, broccoli, herbs, kales, chard, lettuces, and more. I am mulching with straw to cut down on weeding. We used to be able to mulch heavily with hay, but too many farmers are spraying their hay to kill weeds, and those sprays kill and deform plants for years, not to mention the toxins they contain.

Oranges and kumquats are daily delights. Little Fawn tears them up. She is now 30 inches tall and climbing all over the place. For those of you who entered the “three independent walking steps” pool for a free painting, she is not there yet.

Sweet potatoes are ready and waiting to be harvested.

The chickens have quit laying, since we don’t use artificial lights to extend their season.

Winter flowers are starting to bloom.

I still have a little time to prepare garden beds for potatoes (potatoes did not get planted last year due to my sciatica experience), and to rehang our Purple Martin gourds. After 15 years, the cable broke.

Thank You

Thank you for your support of me personally and your love of art in general. Together we’re making a more colorful world.