The Magic of Watercolor
I've had a few teachers who really have impacted my life. I hope all of my students get to have a teacher who makes this kind of impact on their life. One of my influential teachers was my watercolor professor in college, Marilyn Derwenskus, who wore purple from head to toe. Prior to this watercolor class, I had learned in art school that people take art VERY seriously. It can be a bit intimidating thinking you need expensive materials and years of training to be "good" at art. Marilyn saw the art world a little differently and I can't thank her enough for the lessons she taught me about making art approachable for everyone.
As I was signing up for my art classes one semester I really hesitated to sign up for this watercolor class. It just didn't seem exciting. I had painted with watercolor before. In elementary school, at home, once in high school, but it just seemed like the most boring kind of paint to use. My first day of my watercolor class, Marilyn had us using cheap paint sets that you can find at the drug store. I had my doubts. Then, Marilyn did something wonderful- she gave us an assignment packet called "The Magic of Watercolor" and asked to us re-create the 40 some experienments in the packet. That was all we were allowed to paint for the first several weeks. The experiments asked us to use our cheap paints and some strange ingredients from our kitchen- salt, cooked spaghetti, plastic wrap, etc. The results were truly magical. I fell in love with watercolors. Now, I ask my students to re-create just a handful of Marilyn's experiments. I hope my students get to see how cheap watercolor paint can be truly magical. And that sometimes being an artist is all about being brave enough to experiment a little...
