Here's how I Learned to Paint

“When you look inward and find your authentic self, you create art that feels like YOU.”

~Nicholas Wilton

It was the end of 2017 and I was lost. I had been working seriously at my art for 5 years and I wasn't making progress. Yes, I could make drawings that were recognisable. I had even started to be able to paint things that looked realistic. But I was spending a lot of time mimicking other artists and I was spending even more time making things I didn't even like.

I knew what good art was - I had taste and I knew what I liked and why - which made it even more painful, because I knew my art didn't fit in that category. I decided that my problem was a lack of talent. Some people knew how to make original things, but I wasn't one of them. 

And then, in the space of a few months, I met two teachers who changed my life.

The first was a local Yorkshire artist called Lesley Birch. Lesley was teaching a 2-day workshop and I went along because I loved her art. I had looked and looked at her beautiful abstract landscapes and I just couldn't see how they were made. I thought she might show us in the workshop. But her class was nothing like I imagined it would be. Instead of showing us how she worked, she set us free to find our own ways of working. She provided paper and paints and pencils and oil pastels and all sorts of cool tools and brushes and then she set us a series of assignments. Each one was designed to help us loosen up and explore and experiment.

It was great fun - but it was more than that. Lesley's class taught me that play and experimentation was how her art was made. I learned that she simply layered paint and played with colour and gradually found her way. 

I made this start in her class and I was so excited.

It was more playful and free than anything I had ever managed on my own. But once the workshop was over, I found myself stuck again. My paintings would often ground to a halt and I wouldn't know how to rescue them,

That's when I came across Nicholas Wilton, a Californian abstract painter. He was offering a free 3-part online workshop designed to help anyone improve their art.

FREE? I was in!

Nick's painting style was very different from Lesley's but his teaching approach was similar. Both artists were so relaxed about the act of creativity. They made it all about fun and discovery, rather than about results and getting things "right." They also both believed that each artist had to find his or own her way with their work and I loved that. (I'd never been interested in following along as someone else showed their process).

Nick's online workshop blew my mind. He shared 3 key principles that completely changed the way I viewed painting. Suddenly, I had multiple paintings on the go and I actually felt like I knew what I was doing! That first painting with Lesley had felt like a happy accident, but now I understand how to do things deliberately. It was a game changer and I couldn't stop painting.

I took this photo late at night in the corner of the guest room where I used to paint. I had so many things on the go and I found it hard to go to bed.

I can see the principles from that free workshop in this photo. I can see myself applying what I had learned in real time. I still remember the excitement. So THAT'S how you move the eye around a painting! So THAT's how you make colours work!

It was a mind-blowing few days for me - and a few days that set me on the trajectory to my life now. Back then I wasn't a full-time artist. I had only sold a handful of paintings. I certainly wasn't a teacher - that would have seemed laughable to me.

Those two teachers changed my life - and actually sparked my interest in doing the same for others.

Nicholas is teaching that free class again this year and you can join now. Just click HERE and add your name. I highly recommend this class no matter what your style or interests as an artist. It's not one of those things that purports to be free, but actually teaches nothing until you pay.... he really does share the most important knowledge he has right up front, for free.

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I very rarely recommend other peoples' courses but this is one of the few I truly believe in. Get yourself on the list!

As for Lesley, sadly she doesn't teach very often and only in person, but if you live in the UK, you can check for her occasional workshops HERE. I'd recommend adding your name to her mailing list to be sure you don't miss out.