We are all students. Just as in life, our teachers will, and should, change. Being an art student is like being in a huge smorgasbord restaurant. Choose what appeals to you; eat it, and then move on to the next course. Through this process you will automatically compile knowledge that you will use and it will eventually develop into your personal style. This will be exciting and enjoyable, BUT sometimes you will probably feel frustration and self doubt. That's just what I call an "artistic component". It's part of the experience and my advice is to push through it. You will reap the rewards.
One does not have to have perfect drawing and painting skills to make great art; these skills will develop. Eighty percent of a successful painting comes from enjoying the process of laying down the paint and excitement about the subject matter. If you enjoy the process, you will make the time to create art; and the more you create, the better you become.
I learn a great deal from my students. You force me to articulate the concepts that have become instinctive or intuitive. In addition, doing a painting demonstration is a fully charged learning experience. Often you will learn more if the painting fails; and I learn when I have to explain WHY it failed AND HOW to fix it! I don't give cook book recipes on how to build a painting because that kills the individual voice which you are trying to achieve in your work. I will teach you the tried and true rules of good composition and design (with recommendations for follow up source material) and paint handling techniques. But most importantly, I will encourage you to let go of obsessing over technique and look for a passion for the process. This is the true pathway to becoming an artist.
