| Today's Quote: "Formal learning can teach you a great | | | | taped to a tray table. Hmmm.A couple hours later, I |
| deal, but many of the essential skills in life are the ones | | | | went to our local library to look up the |
| you have to develop on your own." Lee IacoccaI | | | | paintings of Wolf Kahn. No luck. But I did read the |
| made a frustrating discovery at my painting class this | | | | latest issue |
| week, | | | | of American Artist magazine, which had an inspiring |
| only to make another startling one an hour or so later. | | | | article about John Asaro. I drooled over his work--he |
| Fairly | | | | has an unusual palette of glorious, sun-bursting colors |
| new to this class--this was my fourth lesson--it | | | | and a fresh, bold stroke--to get to the bottom of the |
| dawned on me that everyone had a formula for | | | | article and see that he had a very precise palette, |
| organizing their palettes. Each | | | | which the writer spelled out to a fault. It was different |
| student had a color scheme that he followed very | | | | than Clyde's.Why all this fuss about my art class and |
| precisely, and | | | | palette? Most of you |
| each one laid out paint onto his palette in exactly the | | | | don't paint in oils anyway!The lesson is this: All three of |
| same way.I didn't make this observation until this | | | | these art instructors were |
| particular class, | | | | extremely accomplished. All were prolific painters. All |
| because I had never allowed myself the liberty of | | | | had |
| walking around | | | | exhibited in shows. And John Asaro has received |
| the painting loft at the beginning of class before. This | | | | international |
| class | | | | acclaim. But they had all learned the proper |
| had been going on for many years. Everyone knew | | | | fundamentals. Then |
| everyone else, | | | | they went on to discover their own technique. Their |
| and Clyde, our instructor, had known his students for | | | | own style.Such is motherhood. There are certain |
| years, too. They lunched together after class, joked | | | | fundamentals that you must |
| around during painting time, and in general, were one | | | | learn. You must learn proper care of a newborn. How |
| big happy family. But I was intimidated by them. They | | | | to clean out |
| were all very New York artsy. Most were much older | | | | her ears, suction her nose, bathe her. There are |
| than I, each with ten to twenty years painting | | | | fundamental |
| experience. I was the baby of the class. The one with | | | | principles of good hygiene that you must not only |
| a dozen or so paintings under my belt. No one really | | | | practice |
| asked me my name. No one particularly cared. So | | | | yourself, but teach to your children. You must learn |
| when I garnered enough courage to ask Clyde about | | | | the |
| this palette technique, he responded that yes, there | | | | fundamentals of good nutrition so that you can |
| was a precise way, with very precise colors, that one | | | | provide nourishing meals for your family. You must |
| laid out his palette in preparation to paint.That's not how | | | | learn the fundamental principles behind aerobic |
| I had been taught. Two previous teachers had done | | | | exercise and of strength training, so that you can be a |
| it much differently. My original instructor, Luisa, is | | | | model of fitness for your kids as well as help them |
| Colombian. A brilliant painter, she painted with a Latin | | | | begin a lifelong commitment to exercise. You must |
| flair. With boldness, yet with precision. We students | | | | learn about certain classical readings, so that you can |
| painted casually, | | | | help develop your children's minds. I believe it is |
| poolside, with frequent interruptions by Luisa's | | | | fundamentally important that you nurture your children's |
| Colombian | | | | souls by providing them instruction in religion, and that |
| housekeeper, who refreshed us weary painters with | | | | you guide your children to have faith, reverence, and |
| piping hot | | | | love for God. It is fundamental that you inspire your |
| espresso at the snap of Luisa's finger. We made up | | | | children with gorgeous music that transforms their |
| our palettes | | | | souls and instills in them appreciation of the giants who |
| by laying paint onto Styrofoam plates, and we laid out | | | | have come before them.But the techniques with which |
| only those colors that we thought we needed for our | | | | you do so can be as varied as there are moms and |
| painting that day.My second teacher taught me only | | | | kids. For I might instill proper fitness by having my |
| six lessons. She hated the plate idea, and when I | | | | daughter perform classical ballet; you might let yours |
| showed up for my first class with a stack of | | | | tap dance on your kitchen floor. I might teach my kids |
| Styrofoam, she relegated me automatically to the | | | | music appreciation by having them play classical violin. |
| neophyte bin. She insisted that I go out and buy a | | | | Yours might fiddle, or bang on their drum set in your |
| proper palette, and enlist a glass cutter to custom-cut | | | | garage.It's important that we learn from each other. |
| a rectangular piece of glass to fit inside. That was the | | | | Through direct |
| proper palette---and don't I dare come to class without | | | | observation, and from reading good articles and |
| it! And again, we laid paints as needed for our | | | | books on |
| particular painting of the day.So by the time I got to | | | | creativity and on motherhood, we can gleam great |
| Clyde's class at the famous Silvermine | | | | insights into |
| Art School in New Canaan, with proper glass-lined | | | | how to do our job even better. I learn a lot from my |
| palette in | | | | readers, who send me emails with priceless stories |
| hand, I was feeling fairly confident. Several canvases | | | | and anecdotes, whose |
| tucked | | | | perspectives have blessed me and have helped me |
| under my arm, my enormous art bin loaded with | | | | grow as a mom and as a person. I would not have |
| tubes, brushes, | | | | learned the "palette lesson" had I not directly observed |
| charcoal, Liquin, turpentine, and the like, I settled in quite | | | | other students. If I did not ask questions.Motherhood is |
| easily. And Clyde had never discussed my palette | | | | not a science. It's an art. As you lay down your |
| with me. So on | | | | colors, make sure you have the right fundamentals. |
| this fourth class, I finally asked Clyde about this palette | | | | But then |
| thing. He immediately walked over to Alex's easel and | | | | release them with your own style. Your own |
| brought | | | | technique. Dare to |
| back a chart--very official looking--of oil colors | | | | paint your days with your own fresh, bold |
| arranged in a | | | | stroke.Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and |
| precise order around a rectangle, with no variation and | | | | worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch |
| with | | | | before coming home to work as a wife and mother of |
| exact oil colors spelled out. We were to lay our colors | | | | four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. |
| around a | | | | Strong convictions were born about the role of the |
| rectangular palette every week when we arrived, in | | | | arts in child development; ten years of homeschooling |
| exactly that | | | | and raising four kids provide fertile soil for devising |
| order, regardless of what we were painting. And he | | | | creative parenting strategies. These are played out in |
| hated the | | | | ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into |
| glass idea. He wanted me to use disposal paper | | | | Brilliance. It is widely available online, in bookstores or |
| palettes masking- | | | | through 888-476-2493. |