Painter/Teacher

With a couple of brief exceptions I have avoided teaching art. Being a good teacher involves a great deal of selflessness. A students interests have to come first. I have a very difficult time not focusing on my own work. Also, how can I possibly teach something I am still in the process of learning?

Figure Study, oil pastel, 9 1/4" X 8 1/4", 2012

Too often students want a teacher to be an authority figure. Someone to "tell" them how to draw or paint. The best I can do is show others how I approach a blank page or canvas. But I don't think the way I draw or paint is the way anyone else should. My working methods and style have developed over many years and are unique to me.

I'm not for a moment trying to minimize the value of a good teacher. I did after all have a college professor show me how to see, no small thing. I had teachers who's passion for art conveyed directly to me. I learned the vocabulary of art in school. Ultimately, however, the only way to learn how to draw or paint is by drawing and painting. Discovering ones exceptionalness and developing a personal style is the challenge and where fulfillment lies.