Piggy
© Norma Wilson, original oil on canvas 11" by 14"
Why is it SO HARD to try something new, something so out of your comfort zone, yet something that really seems awesome? Do you have anything in your life that you would like to do but keep finding reasons why now is not the time or you have probably thought was not even possible for you? I hear people say how much they wish they could paint BUT they have no talent. I ask if they have ever tried it or if they ever took lessons. Well no, just when they were in school. I tell them how I struggled with ADD in school and didn't even know what my problem was until recently. I just know that while all the children were busy getting paper and paint and ideas were flowing....I was still trying to understand what we were supposed to do. Usually my art project never got off the ground. I had major fear issues when I was an adult and took my first watercolor class. We all painted the same painting with the teacher guiding us and amazingly...I did o.k. I was twenty-five years old. I continued and took some drawing classes and another water color class. I felt my old demons in that class when everyone seemed to know SO much more than I did and I couldn't seem to catch up. Fast forward fifteen years when my good friend Susan told me about a local art teacher who taught from a home studio and she was an amazing teacher. The perfect one for me. I was actually teary-eyed a few times in class as my passion for learning met my fear and frustration. She didn't let me quit and was very nurturing and supportive. It all started to come together as I learned the skills and practiced what I was taught. I had my light bulb moments and times when the hair raised up on the back of my neck. I had found a joy in painting that I never could have imagined. It truly was a gift that has sustained and delighted me for twenty years now. So take the plunge!
