I honor of my 5 Day Realistic Portrait Drawing Workshop, I decided to pose some deeply probing questions to myself so that potential students could get a better idea of why they should sign up today.
Q: Why your workshop when there are so many to choose from?
A: Good question! First you'd be helping me line my pockets with gold. Just kidding, I will receive a check in payment for my services.
Q: No seriously. Why your workshop?
A: I think I offer a different level of understanding than what I've come to see in the teaching of others. The majority of teachers give rules and techniques to follow. Me, however, I feel very strongly that unless you know why you are doing something, you'll never have free will.
Q: That's a pretty bold statement. Care to explain more succinctly?
A: Yes, it's like the parable about fishing, the difference between giving a man a fish and feeding him for one day or teaching him to fish and feeding him for a lifetime. Creating art is about making the appropriate choices, moment by moment. Rote reaction to any circumstance makes you a robot at best.
Q: What makes you think this rote way of teaching is so widespread?
A: I see students coming out of learning institutions and all the work looks pretty much the same stylistically. What other conclusions could I draw?
Q: Good point and clever pun (if I say so myself). So what will people walk away with if they sign up?A: First they'll have fun. It's hard to learn in an uptight environment from people who take themselves too seriously. I'm a very irreverent person and I'm an artist because I want to spend my life doing what makes me happy. Being in a relaxed state encourages flow.
Q: Anything tangible beyond this new age mumbo-jumbo?
A: For those who want a more meat-and-potatoes kind of explanation, my students will learn, first, to see more accurately, also a function of being on the moment (Mumbo-jumbo or not...this is key!). They will learn how to convert what they see into a 3D representation on a flat surface. They'll learn techniques that they can blend into their own way of working. Most importantly they'll become far more adept at drawing, which is – as Ingres put it – the probity of art. To that end they can have far greater control whether drawing or painting or whatever their end game.
Q: Wow, you make a very compelling argument. I'd sign up for that in a minute. Any last thoughts?
A: Here's the thing, far too many people get caught up in believing if they can only learn that one elusive technical tidbit, that's the answer. I know, I've been there...and nothing could be farther from the truth. Basho, a Japanese poet said, "Don't follow in the footsteps of the masters, seek what they sought." I think anyone would benefit greatly from this approach.
Q: Thanks so much for the interview. I'll see you at the workshop.
A: The pleasure was all mine!
Marvin Mattelson is now conducting his classes and workshops online in Full HD 1080p through his Fine Art Portrait Academy. For further information, or to register for an upcoming offering, pleasefollow this link to his teaching page.
