“All the time I’m not writing I feel like a criminal. It’s horrible to feel felonious every second of the day. It’s much more relaxing actually to write.”
Fran Leibowitz, Author

The Desperate Struggle

Battling tirelessly with a problematic painting can be disheartening, frustrating and spirit-breaking. It can turn exhilaration into a joyless exercise in futility.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Most of the time a work of art is not going to allow you to birth it without a fight. Making art is very hard work. So, the first thing you have to do is love the process. Every minute of it. Especially, when it is not going well. Which is, as you know, most of the time. You have to love searching for the right line, shape, color, value and texture. And, that means you have to love making the initial attempt, the assessment of that first attempt, the realization that what you tried did not work, and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th attempts to get it the way that you want it.

Secondly, it helps to have an idea of where you think you want to go with this particular piece. What are you attempting? What are you exploring? What are you experimenting with? And then, throughout the making of the piece, you must constantly refer back to your initial broad concept or idea. This keeps you focused and it helps you get yourself back on track if you get derailed.

Remember the enjoyment of creativity is in the making, not necessarily in the finished piece.

The process should not have to be a desperate struggle. It should, however, be an exuberant thrill ride.

Best,

David

Santa Monica:

MIXED MEDIA FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOPS

Explore contemporary figure drawing, painting and mixed media using graphite, charcoal, pastel, acrylic, and collage. Experiment with different approaches for developing the human form such as realism, expressionism and abstraction. Emphasis is placed on observation, structure, line quality, volume, composition, technique, experimentation, and originality. Discussions, art historical examples, and demonstration are all a part of the curriculum.

Working from a model, students are asked to balance risk-taking and exploration with things that they already know how to do well in addition to... +CLICK FOR MORE

THE DESPERATE STRUGGLE

MIXED MEDIA FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOPS

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THE DESPERATE STRUGGLE

MIXED MEDIA FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOPS