Lessons From Art Class

Last minute, I talked D into taking the studio class as it was suitable for beginners.  He was terrified to put it mildly.  I told him he was scared of things that made no sense to me!  You cannot get hurt in an art class, unlike skiing where I'm the one terrified as trees could be hit!  He pointed out one could get jabbed by pencils...

I was ready to quit after the first class because drawing boxes was just not my thing.  D, on the other hand, loved it!  The step by step perspective lesson was right up his alley.  Whereas I was used to learning as I went along vs via lecture.  Starting with the end in mind.  Kinda how I approach life really.

Feeling rebellious, I drew a perfectly fine box...just not the box in front of me.  I even did 2 other renditions of "the better box in my head" from different angles just for fun as I was so bored.

By the time the instructor got to my desk, I was just sitting there.  He asked how things were going and I answered with "I'm all boxed out" (wasn't trying to be funny, just stating fact) .  He laughed and proceeded to tear my work apart.  I deserved it. 

He did tell me I drew nice boxes but the point was to draw the perspective in front of me.  I could just hear him think in his head "trouble maker".  I really am not.  Just had a rough day and was hoping for a class that was more inspiring.

Having had a number of classes since, I now look forward to them.  I've redeemed myself and am following the rules.  The instructor and I are getting along quite well.  He says I have a bold drawing style and I'm working on developing a gentler approach.

D is freaking out with higher intensity as the box, cylinder, triangle subjects are over and we have moved onto actual things to draw which makes me finally feel "at home". 

I forgot how much I love the quietness of being in a room for 3 hr with a dozen others with just the soft sound of graphite on paper.  Oh so peaceful.  I look over and see D's gradually reddened face.  We are onto figure drawing and were supposed to sketch from as many different angles as time would allow.  He leaned over and told me he'll wait for me in the car...

It is the after class talk on the drive home that has been really enlightening.  I have been used to doing stuff outside of my comfort zone (sports) since being married.  Now that D has ventured into another one of my confident areas (second time, first was latin ballroom dancing...not so great for D), we have gotten to see each other in a different light. 

I leave the class totally relaxed mentally and physically.  And D comes out complaining of a sore arm, neck and hand.  Now he understands how I could come back from a ski lesson tense when he who doesn't need lessons can come back grinning.  We have developed a new found empathy for each other.

You see, we are quite different and would have never dated each other had we met in University.  He wouldn't have been serious or intense enough for me.  I would have labelled him a "slacker" back in the day.  And he would have labelled me as "way too much".  The chances of us ever running into each other would have been slim as our areas of study were totally different.  (commerce vs science)

As he has never seen me in anything close to an academic setting he wasn't sure if I was for real when I said with total seriousness during our first walk to the classroom, "Alright, we are going to achieve the 2 highest marks in the class...".

More to Come...