I am still no Picasso!

I have always considered myself a creative person and as a child flourished in the performing arts. I have never, however, felt comfortable showcasing my abilities as a visual artist. I accepted that my lack of talent in this area justified my lack of interest or aptitude. I am beginning to appreciate that my logic was flawed.

I might have a natural talent for music or high musical intelligence according to Gardner’s multiple intelligences theories but as a child, I didn’t simply walk up to a piano and instinctively play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. It took years of training, explicit instruction, immersion and practice before I could even attempt that piece. Why had I assumed that drawing, painting or sculpting would be any different?

It is completely illogical yet I can now see that I applied this rationality to my visual artistic skill. I just assumed that you either had it or you didn’t, and that I most definitely didn’t.

I recently spoke to a student in my art class, Vanessa, who is an extremely skilled and talented visual artist. I asked her how she became so darn good at drawing. She told me that she practiced every night as a child, for hours. She remembers experimenting with crayons and developing techniques. In particular, she recalls the first time she was able to capture a realistic effect of fire in her drawings when she was 6 years old and how this discovery further fuelled her desire to draw.

Vanessa worked hard to become the artist she is today. She didn't simply pick up a crayon and savant like produce landscapes that would make Bob Ross blush.

Similarly, Picasso did not (likely) sit down as a child and instinctively recreate the works of Raphael. The difference between Vanessa and Picasso's early art experiences were that Vanessa had the chance to draw like a child when she was a child. She developed her skills by experimenting and discovering techniques on her own while Picasso (presumably) learned by copying the works of others.

I don't know what that means, if anything, about different approaches to art education. The main idea that I have drawn (no pun intended) from these reflections is that art is a discipline as well as a creative process. While some people might say that art is open ended, that it doesn't have right or wrong answers, there are essential elements and fundamental techniques to the creation and appreciation of art. "The development of artistry is not a matter of natural unfolding." (McArdle, 2003, pg. 36).

At this point in my ramblings, I would like to make an astute and clever analogy between developing artistic skill and an empty wooden bowl. This is because the subject of my next drawing is an empty wooden bowl. Unfortunately, the muses are so offended that I would dare make such a crude comparison that they have left me lost for words.