My Art Class

I must be on a  roll. A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend Linda convinced me to take art lessons.  She had been going for 2 weeks and said it was fun.  I shared with Linda that I have never  painted in my life.  She said,  “No worries.  I’m a beginner too.” So I said “Sure, sounds like fun.”

Unlike golf, I really felt I would enjoy this.  Of course, I did have to make an investment in my materials. You can’t rent art supplies.  I needed to find out the medium + discovered I was taking watercolors.  The little I know about painting, I do know watercolors are the most difficult. They are unforgiving.  You can’t really paint over it-where as in oils you can.

I was fine with that --after all, we were all beginners.

OH NO, WE WEREN’T!!!  As I arrived, I noted that the other 12 students were putting their work on display at the beginning of class.  My God, some of the work by the students looked like masterpieces.  Monet and Cezanne had nothing on them.

By now, you probably guessed that this was not a beginners’ class.  Nope.  Advanced watercolors.  Some of the students had been taking classes for 10 years. You think I was in over my head?  You betcha.

So everyone was lovely and gracious and welcoming.  The Professor complimented every painting, pointing out the strength of the “artist”.  He then gave us an assignment.  We were to paint some sort of display with books on it.  Now, that might sound easy to you, but my worst subject in all my years of school was geometry.  And when painting anything with angles, you’ve got to understand all that stuff.  Great.

I toiled for days.  I threw two paintings away. Finally, I got one that wasn’t disastrous.  There was only one part of it that I didn’t like.  Well after having a vodka martini, I decided to touch it up.  Bad idea.  Totally ruined the painting. Dumb as a rock.

So the next day (one day before class), I started again. I went to class and put my 1^st grade masterpiece amongst the Renoirs.  While the Professor and the other students were kind and polite about my work (you know nice colors -great first effort), I was not a happy camper.

I am an achiever.  I am never at the bottom of the class. How was I supposed to be good at this when I didn’t have clue what I was doing.   I didn’t have the basics down pat. And because of UndercoverWear, I certainly know the importance of those basics.

Well I almost quit the class.  I had to do a lot of soul searching about why I would want to leave.  I decided it was 90% ego and 10 % disappointment.  I didn’t like not being the best.  And unfortunately I don’t have the basic skills to become the best.

But I really do like the Professor and the other students. What is my solution?

I am staying with the course or on course.  I have purchased several watercolor books.  I am painting often and trying to be “self taught” and finally, I bring great pastries to class each week. I jokingly said to everyone, “if I can’t paint, then I’ll be a great hostess.”  They responded, “Oh you’re so nice and you are by far the best dressed student we have ever had.”  “Hostess with the Mostest, Best Dressed, --I’ll take it --for now.

Tj