Today our topic is Virtual Mentors. Who do you hear in your minds ear when you are creating?
I hear lots of people. From former teachers to artist friends, I get guidance from them all. I also get guidance from dead people.
Yep.
Dead people!
There are three books that I strive to read annually. And each time I do them I gain more insight.
Hawthorne on Painting, Collected by Mrs. Charles W. Hawthorne
The Art Spirit, by Robert Henri
And Hensche on Painting, by John W. Robichaux
Through a series of critiques and musings, all three will give you invaluable insight. You’ll feel like they are in the studio guiding you and you know what, they are!
Hawthorne was a teachers assistant to William Merritt Chase, and eventually founded the Cape Cod School of Art.
Henri was a prominent artist/teacher in in the Ashcan School and was a distant cousin of Mary Cassatt. He has a whole section on brush strokes that are both sobering and entertaining.
Hensche was a student of Hawthorne’s, and further refined the Cape Cod School Art’s teaching.
Let’s chat after you’ve read one or two or all three. Drop me a line…I’d love to hear your thoughts on their teachings.
Thinking of picking up the books? Here’s a link to all three books
Check out my two minute tip video on the subject. For more tips and hacks, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
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And don’t forget to visit Painterly to get your FREE Mini-Course, A Guide to Painting Knives