When speaking to groups of school children, one of the things I say is that painting, for me, is a way to be me without rules or limitations.  I provide the example that in business there are structures, rules, numbers and ways of looking at things that are important – for instance, to understand if something will be profitable, have an acceptable cost, or to know the impact of different currencies, or consider likely success of a new plan.  But in art, I paint what I feel and don’t have to be exact or right.  When I paint, I think about shapes and color; I might look at a shape and feel it’s lonely and think about what would be nice to paint next to it, around it, in it, over it.

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While working with children, I convey that sometimes I have a full idea of where I want a painting to go; other times I don’t, or a brushstroke or color doesn’t go the way I wanted.  I get frustrated or I think it’s better than what I thought – the message is that sometimes things don’t go as planned, but we can work with that and it might turn out even better.  It’s OK to be disappointed, something will come of it, keep trying.

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Once a student asked for help while he was painting as the colors didn’t turn out the way he wanted.  I commented without providing any way to deal with the color, saying sometimes that happens to me and I get frustrated or angry; then I take a step back and accept where I’m at and work with it; in the end, something always comes of it.  When this class was ending, the student unexpectedly came over and exclaimed to me – “You were right, it turned out even better than I thought!”  That made me smile.

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In sessions on abstract art, I hold up my abstract paintings for the children to talk first about what they see, instead of me telling them about the painting.  I emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers and that art is what you feel and, or see and it’s what’s inside you that you put out there, even the choice of words you use on the playground.  The children share their observations and unique thoughts, build on each other’s ideas in discussion or listen to the perspectives of others.

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Sometimes, the children describe something they see in a painting that was not even an available product at the time I painted it; I point this out.  In the discussion, I tell the students that hearing what they see in my work makes me happy as an artist.  When the pressure to be right, exact, or fit in a box is removed, there is a great connection to their thoughts and enthusiasm to share them.

 

Eventually, I tell the class what I think the painting is about and with some paintings, I talk about how I started them.  Sometimes, I’ll hold up something that is unfinished or turn over a painting to its blank side for a short talk about feeling stuck or not confident about how to begin.  A blank piece of paper is exciting; it’s full of possibilities.  Sometimes, I hold a painting vertically after showing it horizontally; new things are seen.  We talk about how looking at things in another way can help with ideas or enjoy something with a new perspective.  The wonder or consideration of these things shows in the student’s artwork.

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Presentations end with an assignment to make a painting and then write about it.  Many students convey powerful thoughts and unique ideas in abstract work.  Some were challenged in coming up with an idea, or in painting or writing, or in believing in their art or in their ability to communicate their work to others.  In the end, they were artists, connecting to their own vision, feelings and ideas and creatively developing and communicating them.  It’s exciting to think about how the experience translates to many things they can do across disciplines, in the classroom, on the playing field or in future professions.