Tapping Your Inner Strength

This tip continues the A.C.T. Life Matters! topic Tapping Into Your Inner Strength introduced in ArtMatters! Vol.#108

Eyes tired? Listen to "Teaching Your Inner Strength"
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Teaching art workshops is a great way to hone your craft while you bring in income. You have to keep learning to help others learn. The most inspiring art teachers know this. Billie Mathis is one of them: "Experimenting in painting gives you many paths and solutions to an investigation of what is in you. It takes courage to experiment and go into a new direction. You become stronger."

Billie Mathis compares what it takes to be an accomplished artist to a concert musician. First you learn the keys - the fundamentals. Next you practice (and practice and practice) playing music others have written. Over time you learn to play these pieces with feeling. It takes years before you are ready for Carnegie Hall or to compose your own work.

"I remember when I was a student and how frustrating it was. I try to teach everything I learned by trial and error. There is no room for arrogance or the supposed 'secrets of watercolor.' There are no secrets, just 'stick-ability' as I call it - passion and dedication."

I asked Billie to share some of her ideas about teaching and inner strength:

1. Start with the fundamentals of your medium.
"Design principles and elements are fundamental. There are seven elements: line, shape, direction, value, color, size and texture. Eight design principles guide my students on how to apply and arrange these elements: balance, dominance, repetition, conflict, harmony, variety, graduation and unity. I have papers explaining these along with exercises to clarify the meaning of each element and principle."

2. Create from your feelings and your own color sense.
"Art is a communication tool. You convey what you see, sense and feel about a subject along with your emotional content. We work with color intensity, mixing values and using strength in our color. I encourage my students to use their favorite colors to get them started on the journey. This strengthens their confidence and passion to work, explore, and experiment in finding new ways of creating color harmony."

3.Create what you feel and then resolve any problems.
"At the end of each painting day I critique my students' work. I also give them the opportunity to tell me how they feel about their painting and what they wish to accomplish. I look for three good things they have accomplished. I point out how they can improve where they may have missed the mark. We review the design principles in each painting. This gives them the skills to resolve their own problems."

Billie inspires her students with her own passion for making art. One of her students compiles her most inspiring quotes into a book each year. Here is one example to help you reach for your inner strength the next time you run into a roadblock.

"Obstacles are to be used as stepping stones to something greater. Masters at one time were only students and kept getting up after they were knocked down. In my journey I will never go back to where I was. Each day I will discover a new progressive step that leads me forward."

Billie has produced over 4,000 watercolors in 40 years. She is a signature member of the Regional Directors of the Georgia Watercolor Society. She has received numerous awards and her work is in many collections in the United States, Germany and Turkey. You can see more of her work here: http://www.georgiawatercolorsociety.com/galleries/BillieMathis.html

If you want the company of experienced artist mentors and the company of other working artists on your journey, please visit www.ArtistCareerTraining.com for ongoing classes or our sister site www.ArtBusinessLIbrary.com for books and recordings to help you on your way.

We love to hear from you, so please e-mail your questions, comments and insights to Aletta@ArtistCareerTraining.com or call me at 650-917-1225 Pacific Time.

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Thank you and have an artful day!

Comments

[Gary Smith]

What I like about Billie Mathis' article is you open-ness and philosophy of teaching art. The first goal is to teach your inner strength. I do identify completely with her process. It is positive and begins with enough knowledge of concepts that students can gain confidence and enjoyment.

She clearly creates an environment that feels safe enough to experiment. As another who is seriously commited to coaching artists in art and confidence I give her a triple AAA Grade.

not that she needs or craves it. I get it Billie.

Rspectfully,

Gary Smith
from
the Great White North