Artful Inspiration!Self-Growth.com is a rich source of information for anyone who wants to improve the quality of their life and relationships with others. Over 140,000 articles on such life-changing topics as: Success Skills, Love And Relationships, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Spirituality, Look for my expert bio and articles. Click on the Self-Growth logo!
Why did we create this web site?The overall purpose is to help people help themselves to create the future of their choice, by choice, deliberately, using their inner resourcefulness. Two famous Americans sum it up for me: Henry David Thoreau said, "most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them", and William James said, "compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake". Having spent over 30 years of my life as a self employed consultant, working with hundreds of companies and many thousands of people, I have experienced too many individuals heading for the grave, half awake, with their song still in them.
WHAT I TELL MY PAINTING STUDENTS: My "Last Lecture:" Lois DeWitt, Art Instructor Learning painting from Beginning, to Intermediate to Advanced levels is a funnel-like process--a small area at first, concentrating on specific skill exercises and lessons for technique, then opening slowly to introduce more and more skills and techniques and working towards the development of a personal style. Advanced painting is the widest part of the funnel, where the student has all of the skills and techniques at hand and begins to choose which skill and technique works best towards their personal style. In the last lessons of Advanced Painting, the funnel walls break away and a vista of personal growth and progress is now open to the student. For some students, this is an exciting time, as the tethers of the art instruction process fall away and they are free to do whatever they want. For other students, this can be a bit scary, as the comfort of classes is ended and they are on their own. The migration of the student to a personal studio or work space signals a mastery of painting skills and a maturity of development which will make the student a true artist. Do you revel in the fresh wind of freedom sweeping past you on this vast plain, or does the open space look a bit daunting? However you may feel, there is one thing that you must keep in mind--that is to always promise yourself that you will make time to paint, to be faithful to your skills and to always enjoy your art learning process. Your Studio Imagine yourself in a large, empty studio. There is your easel, your brushes, your palette, your canvases and your tubes of paints. The sunlight is a golden slant through the large window and outside the leaves on the trees are shimmering in a cool, summer breeze. Somewhere, a clock is ticking.... You are standing at your easel, staring at a large, blank canvas. You have done many paintings and drawings. Automatically, your hand reaches for a tube of paint. But wait... Stand still, for a moment. Listen to the silence and let it speak to you. Now is the time for you to take full responsibility for using your creative powers. You are not alone in this big studio, however. I am in the studio also, ready to help you whenever you need some guidance. Now, squeeze the colors out on your palette, get your container of water and your paper towels ready. Now take up a brush and paint! I wish you a wonderful and enjoyable creative journey!
Click here for the Spiritual Healing Artwork 4u website. This site is designed to help the reader achieve a deeper level of spiritual awareness through spiritual tales and artwork. Throughout this site, I will be sharing my spiritual experiences, thoughts and paintings. Through my words and spiritual paintings you will be able to journey to the spirit world and experience the spiritual reality. Additionally, you will witness my personal spiritual healing and growth by means of spiritual journeys and artwork.
Offers you a discussion on pencil art, tutorial videos on drawing techniques and practical applications. Including a study on artistic creativity and initiative art.
Don’t understand abstract art or are you intimidated by it? Well… you’re probably not the only one. The truth is that most people really have a hard time approaching abstract painting. Perhaps this dilemma is associated to education and a host of other variables. Nowadays, modern art is viewed as an art form intended for the wealthy and the scholarly few to understand.
Inspiration is key to creating my paintings and my poetry. How do I get inspired? Over the years I've learned to be watchful for things that inspire me. I am quick to grab my camera and take a photograph of something that inspires me, be it a bird on the back fence or sunlight glowing on the fender or my car! I teach students to see the world in a new way, through inspired and artistic eyes. Once you are open to inspiration, be prepared to find it in unusual places. Inspiration often connects with a part of your mind that is hidden. It is the place where dreams are born and all of your responses have been recorded since the day you were born. It is a place apart from our daily thinking and routine. It is the place where creativity lives.
Click here to learn more about how I use artful inspiration!
Finding The Artist Within You is for those that seek to discover and invigorate their creative abilities. After over thirty years of art instruction experience I have learned that there is a large and ever-growing community of 55+ people that seek to discover and develop their creative abilities. This is a course for you, regardless of your creative talent, age or disposition. I wrote these lessons after years of teaching experience with the 55+ community and discovered than many, in this age group, desire becoming creative and need creative activities to invigorate their lives and strengthen their mental and physical faculties. The emphasis is on self-discovery through simple visual exercises and verbal self-expression. Relaxing exercises and recommended readings are included with each lesson. Groups of students can share their development with others, but individuals by themselves, can learn much from this class, as well. Your interaction, in any case, will be with me, your own personal art coach and the resources I can provide. Why find the artist within you? Creativity can help you have a better understanding of yourself. Through the Artist Within Lessons you will discover your innate creative abilities and develop your creative skills. The Lessons are not about creating “works of art," but about discovering your creative self, the artist within you, celebrating and activating that discovery. After this course, you will be able to decide what creative direction you want to take, whether it is painting, drawing, collage, or printmaking. And the lessons are available to you at this website. Once you are inspired and ready for fun, easy, step by step art instruction in many different areas, all you have to do is click on the button for the art class you want to take and I will email you the link right away! Again, it is all free to you as well as my expertise as an art instructor for over thirty years. Click here to begin The Artist Within lessons! |
INSPIRATION: FROM A LECTURE BY LOIS DEWITT
Student Testimonials
...I currently I'm working with a author for children's books and I'm doing some of the illustration. This has been a real challenge, but enjoying it. When I not at home my sketch pad goes with me and I'm practice on something all the time. I've taken my art more serious and have the time to do what I thought I would never be able to do and you have inspired me to make me realize a dream that I thought I wouldn't get to do in my life time. Will be sending a picture for you to look at and see where I need to do to improve. It may take a week or two, but you will hear from me. Janice
-----
I'm 60 and just getting back into art. My mother was an artist and I always wanted to be one too. I like the (acrylic) painting and I'm just finishing up the Intermediate! Never though I could paint so good! Eleanor Fuller
-----
Please send link to basic drawing lessons--enjoyed your blot painting! Thank you, Phyllis
-----
Hello Lois....In your introductory e-mail you asked about who I am. I'm retired. As I watched my triplet grandchildren drawing and creating fine looking artwork, I got to thinking about how much I had enjoyed drawing when I was about their age. My recollection is that I was pretty good but in truth probably not as good as my aging memory recalls.I do know, though, that I enjoyed it very much. So one day I sat down with paper and pencil to sketch a masterpiece only to find that all the talent I had as a teenager had been lost somewhere on my journey to senior citizenship. The desire, if not the ability, was there so I began searching the net for drawing lessons. I was surprised to find sites that actually provided free lessons. (I fully expected to pay for lessons) I was most impressed with your site so here I am....hoping to reawaken a long suppressed interest in the art of drawing.
Darrell Larson
-----
It's never to late to do art! I've been painting with water color and then did some little cards for my twelve year old niece.
Thank you for your art lessons,
Betty Jacobsen
Notes on Writing The Artist Within Lessons...
Five years ago, for a small business course at a community college I developed a financial plan for "The Artful Life Program," a series of art learning classes for 55+ students.
This offering of art classes could be installed in a community recreation center, a church basement, an instructor's house, or wherever people wanting to learn and do art could congregate.
I had to do the financials, figure out what would be needed to teach in a facility and project an income and expense sheet for its operation.
I came a way from the small business class with a good working plan for bringing art to the 55+ community. One of the classes I called "Finding The Artist Within." Based on my experience with teaching older people, the course was constructed to refresh, inspire and develop creative skills through a series of exercises. I made each project simple, fun and provocative and directed towards an end goal of helping the students choose an artful direction in painting, drawing, printmaking, or collage.
Through six lessons, students could develop their imaginative, visualizing and creative skills will working on projects that were fun for the group and not intimidating.
Over the years, I have taught "Finding The Artist Within," in in private classes as well as life-long learning programs. It remains today, one of the most popular class offerings I have!