I'm a Facebook fan even in these troubling times. About a hundred of my Facebook friends have quit over the information thing. I'm sorry to see some of them go. I'll miss seeing their artwork and reading their comments, both those left on their artwork and comments they leave on other artists work. There have been some interesting discussions come up over the years.

Artwork from around the world has appeared on my news page for years. Artwork I would never have come across without Facebook. I love doing paintings of interiors with women and I have connected with artists in several countries who share the same interest. Its fun for me knowing there are others out there with the same interest. Fun seeing how people live in other countries, and how similar we decorate our private spaces.

I understand people leaving Facebook though. There are times when I feel it is a waste of my time, but then one of my friends will post the most amazing work of art and I love it all over again. Some days my newsfeed is full of crap. Last Sunday was one of those days when the art just kept coming, one interesting painting after another. I reposted a dozen of them. I love sharing good art, I love reading the comments others make. I especially love reading those comments by known artists who really know art - so I'm learning from Facebook too. I'm sorry to see some good artists leave, but they are being replaced by new friends I can learn from.

Creativity is the unheard conversation between our inner self and the world we live in. Painting is making of a visual recording of that conversation. Abstracts tend to be more internal conversationists, while realists are more external conversationalists; reacting to the world around them. As we paint, the painting itself will join in the conversation leading us in a slightly different direction. I'm a listener. I listen to my inner voice. I listen to the world around me and to my painting as I work.

When teaching, I listen to the voices of my students, even when they are not speaking. With every brush stroke they are speaking to anyone willing to listen. Sometimes they are unsure of themselves, other times they become bored with the conversation they are engaged in. Their works radiate boredom when they no long listen to their painting. They drop out of the conversation and cannot find a satisfying ending. They overwork their painting, trying to find their voice again, or leave it unfinished when their voice fails them.

Teaching for me is just listening to my students paint and keeping them involved in the conversation they started. Asking what is it they expect from a painting? When possible, I get them back to the conversation they first engaged in. Marica wants to express her inner self through a mix of abstract and a tinge of realism, while Mary Kay strikes up a conversation with a still-life that's arrangement is from deep within her artistic soul. Kathy sits and pours her heart out on each canvas she picks up. Adrian engages in several conversation in several languages all at once; science mixes with fantasy in Adrian's art.

Because each of my students has a different idea as to what art is, we are constantly learning from one another. The realist learns from the abstract artist and vice versa. The rules of good art are discussed - and forgotten at times. Creating art is pretty much done alone even when in a crowd of artists.

I Love Sharing Good Art

The Rules of Good Art Are Forgotten