Watching Ewe

"Watching Ewe"

Sheep in watercolour

Its' my turn to watch. 

For the next two weeks I have my annual summer watercolour workshops, held in UK near where I live. Artists travel from all over the world to attend these courses and I look forward to them immensely. I take teaching these courses very seriously and put so much effort into them to ensure each attending artist not only has a wonderful time but  also they leave feeling refreshed and inspired.

It is quite a responsibility to have a room full of people knowing you want each one to gain from the experienec of being with you.  They have not only paid for the workshop but they have planned and given up their valuable time to be in your art sessions. This year alone I have had people fly from USA, Canada, Thailand, India, Singapore, Australia and Europe to be with me. Some even fly to be here for just one day.

This means so much to me but I cannot allow one person to leave feeling they had wasted their energy or time in coming. And so I make each course very different. I aim to put new artists with me at ease as soon as they arrive. I make sure returning artists take away somethingnew  in technique they can grow from. Workshops to me are all about our own personal journeys, when we take time to add to what we know or learn a completely new style or way of painting. On courses we all want something different, as our needs and level of skill vary so much.

I am ready for this week. In fact I am bouncing all over the place at the thought of sharing wonderful colour combinations and new ways of painting that I have discovered recently. When I teach, I give from my heart all that I know so that others who paint may enjoy creating as much as I do. And hopefully reach destinations they wish to reach in their journey with art.

I demonstrate throughout the day, for the group as a whole and with individuals in the session on a one on one time basis. Time flies on each of the courses and we often realise it is time to pack up when each day seems to have only just started.

But during these magically heady days I also watch. I will see a room full of people who have reached that special zone where it is just them with their paper. The room goes quiet at times like these and I sometimes feel a little emotional when it happens. And envious as I too would like to be sat in the room painting. But I can't because I am teaching. And my teaching is not about me. It is about everyone else. This is the artists time and whilst I am holding each workshop I belong to everyone in the room. This is their time, not mine, to shine.

And so its' my turn to watch. 

After hopefully getting everyone at that point where they can fly in style.

I start teaching tomorrow and have two weesk of courses. My blog will fall quiet but I will try to pop online now and then.

For now

Happy painting!

Jean

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