Becoming Self-Made (An Introduction to the Author)

First off, thank you for checking out my blog. I hope you've enjoyed the posts so far. Now that there a couple posted you have an idea of the type of content I'm striving to provide. Over the years as I've delved deeper into painting I've become more and more of a paint-nerd. For the first few years my learning was based around what to do/not do, how to go about using different techniques, etc. But over the last year or two I've gotten a lot more into the whys and hows. Its no longer enough for me to know that I'm not supposed to use student grade paint, I want to know why. I want to know how paint is made. I want to experiment with different grounds and different substrates. As I follow these inclinations I will do my best to document and share the progress. My goal is to make this blog the kind of blog I would have loved to have when I started painting.

In these present days of the infinite internet I find myself re-thinking my definition of “self taught.” I had always considered myself a self-taught artist, but maybe a self-made artist is a better way to put it. In my first 6ish years of painting the only instruction I received was in a three-day alla prima workshop taught by Mia Bergeron. Aside from that, everything I learned was from every book I could get my hands on, every youtube video I could watch, every DVD I could afford, and every blog I could follow. There was still a fair amount of trial and error, but I had some absentee guidance. 

In April of 2013 I had the honor of having a painting in the same show as Seth Haverkamp. I had been a fan of his work for a while and finally seeing something in person was big moment for me. After a brief meeting and a couple months of schedules not lining up, Seth invited me to his studio for some informal painting lessons/critiques. Getting to paint with and learn from him drastically accelerated my progress in my art. Having someone to help with those tough spots, to give guidance, and introduce techniques is an amazing privilege. Almost more than that was having someone to pick apart “this totally amazing painting” I had just completed (or thought I had completed.) I’ve always considered myself to be my worst critic, a trait I think one must possess in this field, but Seth has an amazing way to pick apart my painting while, at the same time, telling me good it is. For this I'll be forever grateful. Often times the “one last thing” he suggests to do will make all the difference in the world. 

I no longer consider myself a self-taught artist, but I am 100% self-made. No one has made me practice my drawing, no one has made me scrap a painting 10 hours into it and start over. I have made myself do those things. I've made myself read and study and sketch and draw whether I felt like it or not. I've made myself focus on the flaws in my work instead of reveling in the areas that I was happy with. I encourage you to do the same.

So to anyone who is going down the self-teaching road, take to heart these few things that have helped me on my path:

•      Be your worst critic. You have to be able to look at your work and see every little flaw, every little improper or unnecessary brush stroke, every drawing error, etc. Because, trust me, every juror or curator who reviews your work will see those errors.
•      Take in all the information you can. Read books about technique, materials, Old Masters, and new masters. Watch videos, buy DVDs, take workshops.
•    Use the best materials you can afford. I’ll get into this in further posts, but trust me cheap paint and bargain bin brushes yield poor results. Art supplies are one thing where you really do get what you pay for.  Painting is hard enough, don’t fight your materials.
•     Find another artist to pair up with and give each other critiques. Be honest, but be helpful. Don’t just point out the mistakes; help them see how to fix them. Accept their criticism and grow from it. 

Here's a (bad) progress photo of a rooster painting I'm working on.