I went on a painting day with a really gifted teacher on Friday. I want to try to get back to my real love of art & creativity. Trying to paint a portrait of my husband seemed like a good idea. You don't forget what someone you love looked like after they have left you behind - The image does become more difficult to bring to mind in detail though.
I had digitally manipulated a few photos of David to work from. I had a plan for how I was going to work - squaring up the image & the canvas, doing a detailed sketch, then painting. It's so much easier, with modern technology, to do a "paint by numbers" sort of painting. But it isn't very creative. I do know I am a bit of a control freak though.
It wasn't like that at all. Rachel the teacher encouraged me to work in a much loser way. No drawing, just painting. The basic outline brushed in in blue. Then trying to see the dark, medium & light areas rather than the features.
When I went to art college in 1963 no one taught anything. There was just a tutor who didn't seem to do much & a studio. You were expected to just "be creative". I know nothing about colour theory & colour mixing. I know nothing about the different ways to apply paint. It is such a relief to have someone who does know how to paint & be creative to teach properly, while still letting my own ideas come through.
So I'm really pleased I did this, on every level - Remembering David & rescuscitating my painting skills. It isn't finished, it will take a lot more work. It's all helped me get through a difficult week & oddly made me realise that it actually isn't the image of someone that matters when they have gone, it's the memories of things you shared over the years - good & bad. In my case, definitely mostly good.
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