When I was 40 I took some drawing lessons from a young lady of 20. I'd been drawing all my life at the time. Had 20 years of drawing under my belt before she was even born and had some great art teachers in art school. Had an article written about me in an art magazine just before taking lessons from this girl. A close friend, also an artist, asked me what I thought I could learn from this kid, he said he'd be embarrassed if people found out he was taking lessons from a kid. I learned a lot from this young lady which improved my drawings. I expanded on the new ideas and found, overall, my art improved. I have been told you never stop learning and knowledge can come from anywhere.
Over the years I've seen a number of artists close their minds because of where the knowledge comes from. At one of our critique sessions one artist got upset because a 20 year old gave him advice on his painting. Had he taken her advice he would have had a masterpiece. He feels he was right because the piece sold without any changes. He still won't take advice and still doesn't understand how important design and composition are to a work of art. I cannot get through to him the importance of design.
Over the years, 13 to be exact, I learned a lot from those who came to our critique. My friend George is a master of design and composition. Many artists missed a chance to learn from this master. Over the 20+ years I've known George I've learned a lot. Yes George I am listening.
