Most artists I know, and I too fall into this category, have a curiosity about all sorts of subjects and media and techniques. To be artistic, is to be naturally curious about the world: how light falls on subjects, how boundaries soften and harden, how colors appear to change with distance and temperature, how materials respond to techniques, how to reproduce effects, how other artists work… To always have something to learn is like always having an endless supply of Christmas presents to unwrap.

My curiosity recently led me to take a printmaking class for beginners. It was taught by Emily Brown at Cloud 9 Art School. A 4-hour session of being delightfully out of my comfort zone.

I learned that I have gotten really used to how I approach my artwork. I think in terms of color and value and detail. But printmaking took that away from me and I had to think in terms of composition, shapes, and in terms of black and white. Foundation things that I’ve swept aside over the years.

It was a great return to the basic principles of art and design, not to mention the challenge of thinking in terms of mirror images, learning how to carve out an image, approaching it from the point of view of negative space and understanding new materials.

I have so much more to learn. So much to re-learn.

Here are some photos from this adventure. Nothing improves my teaching skills like walking in the shoes of a student. And it was a lot of fun!