Private Lessons

Throughout my career as an artist I have, upon occasion, given private lessons. In most cases I have been able to help students come to terms with the various problems of learning how to render two dimensional images of objects, events and situations which occur in our everyday lives into drawings and paintings that give knowledge about our shared involvement with life. I have had experience in dealing with levels of proficiency from the beginner to advanced and accomplished artists. The problems on any level have many things in common.

In viewing works in this website you will have gotten a pretty good idea of what I am capable of in terms of my artistic abilities. I know what is involved in the techniques of making these paintings and how to teach others to do what I have done. One of the main concerns in teaching a prospective student is the level of commitment the student is willing to make to learn the techniques and employ them proficiently. It takes a certain willingness to “see” things in a different way and to learn from those new-found ideas. This takes time and commitment.

The first hurtle in becoming a proficient artist in making realistic renderings of things we recognize in our shared experience is drawing. It is kind of like the relationship of math to all the sciences. Learning how to draw is a basic skill in learning how to paint. The most elegant and straightforward text in mastering this skill that I have been exposed to is a simple little book by Betty Edwards called “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. It takes all the mystery out of the process (or at least a lot of it) and presents the skills and ways of seeing that are necessary to render three dimensional reality on a two dimensional surface. When I first came in contact with this book I was teaching a drawing class at a small college in Marshall Missouri and noticed some remarkable progress in the students who put even a fairly minimal amount of effort into doing the exercises lined out in this presentation of how artists “see”. I was amazed.

Learning how to draw and becoming an accomplished artist are two different things. Often times getting a leg up on the basic skills is just the beginning. Having a teacher and mentor in the process can be, well.. helpful. Dialogue with someone who understands the problems and the nature of accomplishment can be extremely helpful. Most people interested in such things attend University and go through a course of study with several people to attain this kind of education. I did that and think I gained from the experience but I must admit, there were a handful of people who I felt influenced me and without whose help I would not have done as well. Often times those opportunities involve proximity. There are many gifted teachers in this regard in all areas of the world and all areas of study. My advice would be to find someone in your locale and get started. If you live close to Columbia, Missouri, you might consider taking lessons from me. Please feel free to contact me at jd@jdkingart.com.