Updates from Terri on Her Art Journey
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The COVID pandemic, which began just a little more than two years ago, has been tragic for most of the world, but for me it’s been a blessing. It’s in part because of the lockdown that I started my art journey. Shut in and with no outside distractions, I was able to take tons of online art and painting courses.
Blessed to be painting, I’ve also been blessed to have so many wonderful instructors and mentors. And I’m pleased to share them with you here . . . It began with zoom classes in the summer of 2020 with watercolorist Joan Iaconetti, who I’d met a few years ago when I lived in New York City. She specializes in teaching watercolor to absolute beginners and that’s absolutely what I was! Later that fall, I came across a Christian artist who has an online program called “Created To Thrive.” I spent six months being mentored by Matt Tommey, who helped me see my calling as an artist, filled me with the Holy Spirit and built my confidence to pursue my art journey. It was Matt who convinced me to build a website and start this blog. In January of 2021, I attended a three-day conference via zoom. Called “Watercolor Live,” it was produced by publisher and founder of Streamline Art Video, Eric Rhoads. Ever since that conference I’ve been receiving Eric’s encouraging emails and his digital versions of Plein Air Magazine. It is through this association that I joined Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and Nevada Watercolor Society, and have taken many wonderful online workshops as a member. Last year I also signed up for “Paint Your Heart and Soul” with Olga Furman. Every Wednesday she posted a video of a lesson from a different artist. One of my favorites is Debbie Miller, who taught me how to make floral acrylic paintings. These have been some of my most popular paintings; in fact, I’ve sold more floral art than anything else. Another wonderful artist is Nicholas Wilton, who has challenged me through his Art2Life workshops, to be more creative and original in my own artwork. No one has influenced or challenged me more than Rod Moore, founder of the Learn To Paint Academy. A contemporary landscape painter, Rod is based in Australia. Not only has Rod taught me everything I know about acrylic painting (indeed, ALL OF THE LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS I’VE POSTED HERE ARE ROD MOORE PROJECTS), but through his Artist Business Academy, I’m learning how to sell my paintings and also to teach beginners how to paint! So far it’s been a joyful journey and now that the world is starting to open up a bit, I look forward to taking some IN PERSON class and, perhaps, even teach a few of my own. In the meantime, please keep following me . . . let’s see where the next two years lead us.
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Last Friday I taught my first painting class from the patio in my backyard. We all had fun and the Lord gave us a gorgeous day to paint!
This workshop was part of my training to be certified by the Learn to Paint Academy (LTPA) as an instructor of the Moore Method of Painting (MMOP). Everything I taught I learned from Rod Moore, founder of LTPA. The project we painted is called “Cape Otway Lighthouse,” and we painted it using Golden Open slow-drying acrylics. My students arrived at 10 a.m. when I gave them their blank canvases and explained the MMOP which uses just three colors, three brushes and three steps. After a brief discussion on composition and color mixing, we did STEP # 1; we drew our composition. Then in STEP #2, we blocked in the big shapes. We were done with steps 1 and 2 at noon, just in time for a lunch break, giving our paintings some time to dry. After lunch, we came back for STEP #3, putting in the details and finishing touches. Did we have fun? From the look on their happy, smiling faces, I’d say, “Yes, we did!” Here’s what they had to say: “I had a great—and educational—experience. So much fun, and I gained a great deal of confidence in the potential to continue in painting and art in general. I would definitely recommend the class.” and “Terri Thompson’s Art Class was amazing. I learned so much and had so much fun the afternoon flew by. I am very proud of the painting I created with Terri’s guidance and I will be referring all my friends to her.” Wow! How gratifying it is for me to be able to share the joy of painting. I hope these guys will return for future classes. They were a terrific bunch of students; couldn’t have asked for a better first class! If you’ve been following me on my art journey, you probably know that I’m studying to be a Certified Instructor of the Moore Method of Painting (MMOP). One of the requirements for certification is to teach two day-long workshops using the MMOP.
This coming Friday, I will be teaching my FIRST beginner class, God willing. My students will be members of my family and we’ll be painting in my backyard patio. The subject will be a seascape featuring a lighthouse. It’s called “Cape Otway Lighthouse.” As with all Moore painting projects, we will be using just three colors, three brushes and three steps. The first step is to draw the scene. The second step is to identify the big shapes and block them in with underlying color. The third step is to add final touches, including details and highlights. The main objective is to have FUN and to build confidence that anyone can learn how to paint! I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to teach my second workshop in the next few weeks. If you happen to be in the Las Vegas area and you’d like to join me in a fun few hours of painting, please drop me a line. I’d love to teach you the JOY OF PAINTING. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to establish good habits and how easy it is to break them? Whether it’s eating healthier, exercising regularly or even just being kinder and more generous, you may resolve at the beginning of the year to do better, but by early spring, you’ve backslid into old, bad habits?
It’s happened to me already. On my art journey, I vowed that this year I would paint daily and post a blog entry every Monday morning. Well, last week, I did only ONE painting. And, here it is, TUESDAY, March 8, and I’m only now getting around to posting this week on my blog. Sure, I can make excuses. World events, like a war raging in Europe or a devastating pandemic, are distracting, so I can’t focus on painting or writing. But that’s a lousy excuse, and I should know better. Truth be told . . . painting should be the distraction from disturbing world events. And that’s the main reason I want to GET BACK TO PAINTING FLOWERS! What evokes more peace than a lovely flower? As I pray for world peace, I pray that the Lord inspires me to seek His peace by painting the beauty of His nature. Co-create with me, Lord, and help me to get back into the habit of painting every day! |
AuthorTerri Thompson is a journalist-turned-visual artist, who is on an "art journey" and exploring how to tell her stories through her watercolor and acrylic paintings and photographs. Categories |