Someone's Watching Me!

[Julianne Lowman]

How does one gain the confidence to actually paint while others watch. I see teachers do demonstrations, students in classes with others walking around, artists painting at shows with spectators milling about...how do you do this?

It took me 6 months to find the courage to take a community college class because I knew there would be someone walking around, peering over my shoulder, watching. I became paralyzed. I did complete the class with an A though, so I guess that is something.

At a life drawing class the I, yes, I coordinated, I produced the worst pile of, well you know, all because I was so concerned with "what others would think". I'd get the paper home, look at the fruits of my labor, and wonder who WAS that person holding the pencil? It couldn't have been me! This is garbage!

I think part of my problem is that, because I am mostly self-taught and feel that if I begin a drawing or painting one way, it is probably the wrong way, but it works for me in private.

Suggestions?

[Michele Rushworth]

You paint beautifully and have nothing to worry about. The more you paint in front of others the easier it will get.

[Tom Edgerton]

At least in a learning, as opposed to teaching, situation, it's best to remember that you're there to learn. It's practice with help, not a performance. And if the person that's there to help you makes you feel like you don't belong there, you're with the wrong teacher.

As always, you'll learn more from a large failure than a small success.

Best--TE

[Kimberly Dow]

I know what you mean - sometimes a learning situation is harder than just painting publicly because you know the teacher knows what they are doing (or should anyway) versus just the general public.

I learned how to paint in front of people the hard way. I took a mural job years and years ago for a large hotel in a big city. It was to be a temporary mural covering the huge ballroom, painted on sheets on the walls. It was for their New Year's Eve party. I was told I'd have the ballroom all to myself for 3 days prior to the party. I didn't sleep at all and I got it done and they were thrilled - but - guests from the hotel kept wandering in. I was on a ladder a lot of the time and it was unsettling. On the last day after 2 nights with no sleep a local tv crew showed up to interview me. The interview was so awful - I wasn't prepared and was tired. I think I said "uh huh" five times. Luckily it was on the news at 11pm New Years Eve - I don't think anyone saw it!

[Marvin Mattelson]

As one who offers demonstrations as an important part of my teaching repertoire. I am well aware while I am painting in front of many I am constantly surrounded by three voices.

Voice #1 tells me what to look for, what decisions to make and what actions to take. For those who are football fans voice #1 sounds very much like John Facenda, the original voice of NFL Films.

Since I am teaching while I demonstrate, voice #2 is my own, offering a running commentary explaining what I'm doing and why I've made the choices I have. Voice #2 likes to tell jokes. If people are laughing it's much harder to hear voice #3.

Voice #3 Is the running commentary inside of my head, unceasingly bombarding me with self doubts, considerations, and insults. Voice #3 tends to sound like my mother.

The key is to focus on voice #1, allow voice #2 the freedom of expression and not take voice #3 too seriously. This is the key to being able to focus. People who pay too much attention to voice #3 tend to do very bad things.

Interesting enough, all three of these voices are present wherever I go and whatever I do.

[Tom Edgerton]

Marvin--

This is priceless, in the valuable versus humorous sense.

I'll keep this and refer to it often. Great advice.

Best as always--TE

[Linda Brandon]

I also like this very much, Marvin! Your comments sparked a mental vision of Gollum and his alter ego. (Just teasing you. You don't look anything like him.) "My Precioussssss...."

Julianne, try to get in the zone as soon as you can when you paint from life. The time limits involved in painting from life really help with this. The more you do it the easier it will get to tune out all the other noise - external and internal - so that it is just you, your subject and your canvas.

I've studied with teachers who require total silence when they paint and also with teachers who give an entertaining running commentary. I think this is really hard to do and what Marvin does is very impressive. When I teach, I'm told that I tend to trail off in mid

[Chris Saper]

Julianne,

What a very good topic! It's hard to say how a person can become comfortable painting in public...but maybe speaking in public is a way to start.

When I was a young graduate student, I really wanted to be able to speak publicly, but absolutely could not, no matter how well prepared I was. I made myself take a Toastmaster's class, and it's a very effective way to overcome that sense of panic, certain to be followed by doom, humiliation, yadayada... After just attending for only about 8 weeks, I really found that I not only could begin speaking in public, but a hint that it might actually be enjoyable.

Still, I would not show my work to anyone, no matter how unqualified they might be to venture an opinion, until somewhere in my mid-thirties. No reason to wait that long!

In those intervening years, I found myself (more often that I wished) as the only administrator facing a room filled with angry doctors...after that, everything else is a walk in the park. Now I am such a ham that people need a stage hook to get me off stage.

Painting in public is something that I love to do, and am fortunate that someone can interrupt me, and I can get right back to work. I know that people who think my work is awful will generally try to get out of earshot before the derision starts, and everybody else talks to you because they something nice to say.

[Julie Deane]

Hi -

I can relate to this subject. I recently got my courage up again to draw in public. Years ago, for two summers, I did those profile sketches they sell at Busch Gardens, and it was - "no sell, no eat". Talk about a motivator! I'm shy by nature, but I learned that I can sell, and I can work in front of a crowd. The main key is - to not think much about the people - concentrate on the drawing. And a lot of positive self-talk, being your own cheerleader. Letting negative thoughts take over is death to any good likeness I want to achieve.

But - talking in public - especially while drawing or painting? Wow! Chris, I've thought about doing Toastmaster's. Glad to hear a good report about it.

Does anyone else see a difference between drawing as compared to painting in public? I can do the former, but the latter takes so much concentration right now I can't imagine it.

[Mary Reilly]

I rent studio space in the retail district of a small town. Consquently during certain hours, people are strolling in and out of my studio and often stop to watch me paint. The more you paint in public the easier it becomes, and if a little conversation occurs it is actually easier because I don't feel so "on stage". However, if the people are silent and stand there and just stare sometimes it can be intimidating. When that happens, I switch to something "boring to watch" and usually the people move on after a couple of minutes of me pushing paint in the background. As soon as they are gone I switch back to what I was painting and what would probably be more interesting to them had they not left.

More often than not though, most people are not intimidating and when they are watching a portrait be created it actually becomes an opportunity for me to suggest that they consider having a portrait painted. My brochures are right there and they usually take one and sometimes I hear from them a month or so later when they come back to talk about having a portrait painted. So painting in public has been a great marketing tool for me.

Mary