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Classrooms are important for us to hear new ideas and gain new perspectives but the real learning comes from within, by challenging ourselves and taking effective action to find new insight.   I love painting because there is always something to learn.   As a science major in college I found that the method of question, test, and analyze could be applied to art. Painting and drawing are inspired problem solving and going to the easel with a purpose helps move my work forward.  Here are the steps I use:

Identify- what is it you want to learn?  The answer should be concrete and easily identifiable.  This will help you create a course of action

“I want to be a better artist” is a broad statement and not helpful in creating a course of action.

“I want to be a better artist by simplifying the value structure of my compositions” This identifies the issue and helps determine what to do next.

Create- once you identify what it is you want to change you can create a challenge.

“I will simplify the value structure of my paintings by creating a 3 value thumbnail sketch”

The secret to creating a challenge is to make one that addresses the problem but is not too challenging.  There is a sweet spot between pushing yourself and setting yourself up for failure.  Making small value sketches is a useful and helpful tool in understanding simplicity in composition.  Insisting that the value sketch must be made directly on a 40x60 canvas without any forethought using phthalo colors is setting yourself up for failure.

Assess- This is crucial, did the action give you the results you wanted?  Never take the results personally but use them to identify where you want to go next.”  Sometimes you have to scrap the challenge and try something else; often you just need to tweak what you were working on.

“I used three values but the composition was static” This is because the three values were equally dominant.

Now you have a new action to identify

“I want to simplify my compositions by using three values and letting one dominate.”

Now you can create a new challenge

“I can change dominance of the three values by assigning them different percentages. 60% dark, 30%  mid-tone and 10% light.”  Now assess the effectiveness of this, which will lead to new ideas to tackle at the easel.  Improving your art is a life long journey.

  I have been experimenting with surface texture lately.   In "Sleeping Bear Sunset"  I kept the darks very thin and layed the lights on as thick as possible.   I mixed huge piles of light values for the sunset and water and buttered the panel with the paint.   I liked the effect of it so well that I tried it out in pastel on this painting of my son's boots.  I ground the light pastel into the sandpaper.  I does not quite have the punch of the oil strokes but I would like to play with it more.