Posts

[View from Little Manly Beach, Whangaparoa. 14x18", acrylic on canvas] First of all, welcome to my new subscribers! I'm always excited to see a "new subscriber" notification because it means someone found what I'm doing interesting enough to let me into their inbox. And that's no mean feat these days. So, thank you! I finally finished the above painting for my mum! I started it over a year ago, but because I struggled with various aspects of it, I set it aside for long periods of time. I'm pleased I stuck with it, and now, once the varnish is dry, I can finally courier it to Australia. (Should be with you in a few weeks, Mum. 😊) Virtual Art Academy I said in a previous newsletter, I wanted to get serious about artmaking this year. Given I didn't get off to a great start, I wasn't sure how I was going to do that. I knew I needed to commit to some kind of external learning to stay motivated. After exploring a number of options, I decided to sign up for Virtual Art Academy. It seems to be one of the most comprehensive and unique online painting courses (and communities), and it's designed to take you as far as you want to go. I really like Barry's Ladder Of Learning℠ approach, where students give each other feedback on their assignments based on what they've learned. The idea is to teach what you've learned so it sticks.  I'm only a little way in so far, but I'm really enjoying it. And I can see I will learn a tonne from Barry, the content, and the other students. A drawing I sat in the park with my youngest daughter, who was colouring in, recently and drew this. [Manuka twig (I think). Graphite and coloured pencil on paper] Quotes “Artistic vision is about looking harder with your imagination than your eyes. —Martin Kinnear, Painting Made Easy magazine, Issue 1” Through listening to this talk by Ken Myers on the Chesterton House podcast, I discovered this striking quote by Peter Leithart: “Art is a making that imitates the making of God, and it is most godlike when it is purely gratuitous, when it is not meeting a need.” In the source article, Peter also says this: “An artist with no ear or eye for transcendence, who believes in nothing hidden, is going fail to render what is real.” Links • "Art & dangerous ideas: Kierkegaard" - The comments are worth reading too. • "Struggles of a Christian artist" • Interview with Yong Hong Zhong on the Learning to Paint Podcast. I love his enthusiasm and the way he simplifies things to encourage people. He makes beautiful watercolours too. Thanks for reading! ❤️