Learning New Skills

The Spring 2020 semester at Montgomery College is all about learning new skills (i.e., stepping out of my comfort zone) while continuing to practice my drawing skills (i.e., feeling good in my comfort zone) and keeping up with my painting schedule (that’s both I think).

First, the struggle: I’m taking ‘Digital Tools’ and it is going to cover Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and a video-editing software.  The software used at the College is all Mac OS, and I’ve always worked with MS Windows and regular office automation software, so… computer design software using Apple computers is going to be a real leap of faith. And I imagine that designing with a computer is going to be a lot different from my normal style of pencil and sketchpad. The professor seems very straightforward and I’m grateful for that because she’s organized and knowledgeable about the software. All in all, the learning curve is going to be steep but certainly interesting.

Then the easy part: another semester of ‘Figure Drawing’. I love drawing from the model, and getting to do this twice a week keeps me in practice. Our models at Montgomery College are really great, and once you draw them over and over, it gets a lot easier, although I feel a bit rusty from the holiday break. The basic homework assignment is to keep a daily sketchpad of drawings, the point being to keep on drawing all the time. Plus I’m taking ‘Art in DC’, which is offered by the Community Arts program. In that 10-week course, we’ll visit a variety of museums, galleries and alternative art spaces – getting to know the curators/owners, and sometimes the artists as well. That’s just plain fun and I look forward to reporting on these visits in upcoming blogs.

Then both: Painting. Inspiration for new paintings comes from everywhere, and I also have about 40 years of pent-up paintings inside me, so there is never a loss for started-but-not-yet-finished paintings. Right now, friends are waiting for me to finish two portraits of them, there is a New York Moment series which is nearly done, several landscapes still in process…well…you get the idea. Painting is great, but there is also a lot of internal pressure to both finish older paintings and start new ones. It is thus both within and without the comfort zone. I’m not taking any courses related to Painting this semester, but I certainly have enough momentum to keep going with the ones already started.

Without doubt, the semester will be a busy one. As the weather gets warmer, there is naturally the desire to be outdoors as well. But perhaps balance is the key: stretch and keep stretching because that’s very enjoyable in its own way, but also spend time doing things which feel empowering to keep strengthening skills and moving positively forward.