The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #33

   Whomever came up with the expression, "Grace under pressure" should have their head examined. This is just my opinion, as I have close friends who absolutely revel in last minute deadlines or the occasional "pressure cooker" situation. I've never been one to frequently work in stress. However, the painting I'm blogging about today was created under pressure. I was teaching an oil painting class at an area high school and did a "live demonstration".

   I began with the sky, layering on colors until one-third of the canvas was covered. I then put in the reflection of the water. Next, I painted in the tree line as well as the shore. The rocks and outcropping followed with the egret being painted last.

   I will be honest - I do not like painting in front of people. So the fact that this painting came about in the first place means there is more to this story. My students came to this first class with whatever they had for supplies. The schools' secretary forgot to pass out the supply list when these people signed up. Mistakes happen - it was a slight oversight. "No big deal...", I thought. "I'll just do a demonstration. My students don't have the proper materials to work with and I don't have enough for everybody."

   As it turned out, it became a big deal. Multiple students dropped out and the class ended up getting cancelled. Did I intimidate people? Make things look too easy? What did I do wrong? When people were asked why they were not continuing the class, they pretty much all said, "I can't do this class. The instructor is great, but I can't paint like she did! She did an 18"x24" painting in under an hour! I'm not that good!"

Live and learn. I learned never to do another demonstration...

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill