“Your real work is play.”
—Austin Kleon, Keep Going
Gouache painting by Carmine, father of a Lafayette student.
On Sunday I taught a painting class at Lafayette College. This class was for college students and their visiting parents, because it was Parents Weekend, and also it was to be the biggest class I ever taught, about sixteen students. I woke up to a gray, chilly day of pouring rain, and drove the Hunter Hill CSA, a local farm. The farmer, my friend Katy, was waiting for me with glorious bouquets of flowers which she had made, especially for this class.
I set up the classroom and students began to arrive, despite the rain, and I set everyone up at tables with flowers and paper and paints. (We were using gouache, an opaque watercolor that I favor.) Many of the students had never painted before! It was truly heartwarming for me to watch people experience the joys of painting for the first time.
One man, a father of one of the Lafayette students, kept saying, “I’m just an accountant,” and, “I suppose this is ok for an accountant,” in such a humble, sweet, rather woeful way. But I encouraged him to keep going, and at the end of the class he produced this delightful painting:
Gouache painting by “Anonymous Accountant,” father of a Lafayette student.
Here are a few more samples of work that was produced on Sunday. There were many more paintings than this, but I couldn’t fit them all in. I’m really pleased to see how the students made use of negative space, and paid attention to color relationships.
Gouache Painting by Jen, a Lafayette student.
Gouache painting by Kathy, mother of a Lafayette student.
Gouache painting by Tedi Beemer, Lafayette College student
A few students holding their finished paintings:
So, all in all, it was a successful morning. Plus, Lafayette College made me this name tag, so it’s official:
I’m a real artist.
Me and my new name tag. It says it right here. Artist. (Woo hoo!)
Further Resources:
Sign up for a Flower CSA at Hunter Hill Farm, and get beautiful bouquets every week throughout the summer!
Other Workshops I have taught:
If you would like to try your hand at painting, sign up for a Private Painting Lesson!
Or, explore gouache on your own! To get inspired, read my blog post: 10 Ways to Play with Gouache.