“I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.” Vincent van Gogh

I spend 90% of my time scheming ways to become rich and/or famous with limited skills and even littler effort. Inclined to use the left side of my brain, I always thought it’d be great to be some bohemian artist.  Alas, doing yoga and buying expensive organic groceries weren’t as effective as I initially planned. So, I finally decided to hone my artistic prowess and take an art class, expecting miraculous results never seen in the five years I’d spent at art school. With blind determination, I registered for a weeklong workshop with Stephen Early studying the human figure in oil at Raleigh’s Art Space. So as not to look like some huge chump, I cashed out my 401K and traveled to the art store where I purchased the nicest oil paints money could buy. Surely, it’s the paint that makes the artist, not talent.

My charcoal nudes from college

Upon arrival, I realized I might be a bit in over my head. My palms began to sweat and the Caboodle case I’ve used to store hair ties in since the third grade almost slipped out of my death grip. I suddenly wondered why I’d blown all my cash on paints and not purchased a trendy storage case?! I put my negativity aside, chose an easel with trepidation, and sized up the competition.

Stephen providing instruction

The class began with instruction on composition setup. We discussed color theory and the importance of positioning paint on the canvas for color transition without blending. It all seemed like a lot of work and too much attention to detail so I decided just to revert back to my self-taught method of taking the easy way out. Somehow I wasn’t as successful as the trained professional teaching the class. I completed the course several days later realizing I always had my ability to read and watch tv to fall back on. I’m currently reworking my resume to reflect these strengths.