The Brush Up - Day 1

Dear Diary,

My first day in Spain was spent in high tide, both literally and figuratively! I got up at 7 AM, enthusiastic and excited, but I guess I was a little too early, for it was still dark outside. I looked out of the window of my hotel only to notice an enjoyable chill in the air and misty clouds along the skyline. Spain was indeed beautiful!

As the sun finally woke up to my excitement, a lady from Scotland (also enrolled on the course), and I, headed out for a quick walk to the beach. The sandy shores were just a two minute walk away, and though the horizon was hazy, minutely detailed sand castles along the shore were delightfully impressive! The water was clear, and the beach was surrounded by mountains – within an hour of sunrise, people were buzzing along the beach like it was a crowded market place with 80% sale!

10 AM, at the studio: I met Caroline (my teacher for the next one week), her son Alex, and the other four participants on the program. Most of them had been following art for quite some time and a few were looking for a retreat or break from corporate life. I was a little intimidated by their age and art-experience, and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to ‘fit-in’. Anyway, then began the first lesson..

I learnt that there is a big difference between decorative art (just for decoration) and fine art (tells a story or generates an emotional/intellectual response). A well composed painting is one which an onlooker won’t lose interest in, which has a focal point. Structure can be introduced into a painting by using the golden cross section rule (Divide your canvas into 9 parts, somewhat like a cross-n-knots game, and then begin with a focal point). Yes, Art is more theoretical than you thought!

Next, we went to the beach for a ‘practical’ class.. I wish we could do that in college! *sigh*

As we lulled along the beach, Caroline asked us to think of three words that describe the space around us. I think I thought of serene, calm, and blue. And then she asked us to take from the beach whatever intrigued us the most – it could be a flag, or a shell or the waves, or perhaps, a person? Anything would do.. I loved this freedom – coming from the world of grades, subjects and degrees, this seemed heaven.. miles away..

After coming back from the beach, we started work on ‘the first masterpiece’! The process was exhilarating.. right from choosing the right canvas to applying acrylic under paint, to composing, to even squeezing the tubes and mixing the paints, to finally watching colors come alive on canvas –was I elated! After all, it was just Christmas Eve, and my present was already with me. Looks like Santa started early this year :)

I also feel like there was something mystically encouraging about the studio ambience. Of course the paintings all around were inspiring, but the smell of paint perhaps, or the Da Vinci brushes.. or maybe the sheer innocence of beauty all around.. I felt like there was something about the studio that got you rolling up your sleeves and ready to take on the world with just a paintbrush!

And, so..with an unfinished painting in the studio and lots of paint on myself, I left for the day with the words of Caroline in my head “The aim is not to have a realistic picture, the aim is to have YOU in the picture.”

Couldn’t agree more.