Learning to Paint Later in Life

Developing a Creative Practice Focused on Painting When Time is Not on Your Side…

I’ve always been a painter. After deciding not to pursue a career in art as a young college-aged adult, I became an occasional painter but, in my mind, I painted all the time. I often would use my imagination to wonder how I could approach crafting scenes that inspired me in some way.

My lack of real-life painting experience left me frustrated because there were (and still are…) significant knowledge gaps that make painting more challenging than it needs to be. Life got busier and busier over time and my imaginary painting sessions became less frequent and my real-life attempts even less so.

Since 2019 I have been painting in real life much more consistently.  This was prompted by some late night, insomnia induced viewing of YouTube videos offered by Stuart Davies, Kyle Buckland, Andrew Tischler and Ian Roberts and then the pieces started to come together. I was able to see the steps I needed to take to make the progress I wanted to see.

These more experienced painters gave me what I needed to get started painting in oil paints and painting en plein air. They generously shared their knowledge, insights and spirit in a way the helped bridge the knowledge gap and that was enough to get me re-started on my painting journey.  I have been painting three to five times per week nearly every week since.

One of the many things I enjoy about painting is that the learning never stops. We learn both intentionally and by mistake. If we stop painting, we eventually learn all about regret as our skills degrade with time away from our painting practice. Additionally, we get reminded that time our time is finite, and we may have missed opportunities that will never come around again.

Everybody has a different set of life experiences. No two journeys are the same. No two people see the world the same way, so the creative work done by all is uniquely their own. Therein lies one of the key reasons we all should engage creatively in our own way within the time we have available.

Here are some things that have worked well for me in the effort to reengage my creative drives. Most of these resources have been incorporated into my painting practice by happenstance as I stumble along and strive for some level of mastery over time.

Mindset – Think long-term even if time is not on your side anymore… Painters throughout history have peaked at advanced ages. Some have done what’s consider their best work in their 80’s. Don’t take my word for it. Check out this ARTnews.com article by Hilarie Sheets “'You Become Better with Age where she accounts for the more famous prodigious octogenarian painters throughout history and expands on this idea. Bottom line = even if you missed out on many years of growth as a painter the best time to start is now. You may find, with a little bit of luck, that you can grow into greatness as a painter much later in life than you thought possible.

Do The Work – Nothing can replace the benefits of experience.  One thing leads to another and when you do the work good things happen.  You will learn faster, improve and people take interest in what you are doing. If you find yourself in a busy season of life and finding time is a challenge, make it a priority. Schedule your time at a time that works and be as consistent as you can. We all will find ourselves in the frustrating situation where we say to ourselves, “I don’t have time to paint”. If you have ever found yourself saying this listen to the “Learn to Paint Podcast”  episode titled “7 Reasons to Start a 20-Minute Daily Art Habit (Mini) [Archive] “ and explore all the benefits of starting small. You’re going to learn how to shift definition of success, get some ideas for what you can do in 20 minutes and how just a brief daily practice helps you and those you love to get ready for a larger art practice.

Set-up Self-Paced, Self-Guided Learning

Note: the following six learning columns stand alone and often represent interrelated mutually beneficial sustaining parts.

1. Study the Greats – Keep this one simple. Look for and look at great art that inspires you and resonates with your aesthetic senses. Checkout the “Study the Greats” Playlist for ideas related to this topic

2. Web-based Resources – Here are some that I’ve benefited from while on my painting, learning journey thus far

   • Social media pages affiliated with Art Museums

   • YouTube Channels hosted by your favorite artists and art instructors who offer video content on YouTube

3. Books – There are too many great books to list. I tend to bucket books that can help aspiring painters develop their craft into two categories

   • Reference & Inspiration

   • Instruction & Knowledge

     Checkout this “Book Review” playlist for more ideas related to this topic

4. Workshops & Classes – Aspiring painters who are trying to build upon their existing skills while simultaneously working in other fields full time and managing other obligations may find this channel for learning challenging due to the affiliated time commitments. The good news here is that many web-based resources make this much easier. Here are some workshops and classes that I have participated in that have helped me tremendously

   • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)

     https://www.pafa.org/education/lifelong-learning/continuing-education

     Search for their seasonal In-Person and Online Courses & Workshops in the continuing education section of their website for more information.

   • YouTube · Art School Live with Eric Rhoads

     LIVE weekdays at 12n ET with top artists teaching. Hosted by Eric Rhoads who just may be the preeminently prolific art instruction-focused publisher in the world.

   • There's much more but we will leave this here for now.

5. Networking – Painting is often a solitary activity. Often, it is you, your mind and supplies trying to create something worthwhile. My creative network consists of my family, some friends and a few local artists that I interact with on occasion when participating in plein air events here in the Poconos. I’d also add in those who follow me on social media and the content producers that I follow. I think the most important thing with networking is direction and intention.  For me it is important to share more than I consume and focus more on those who display creative energy (instead of those who are consistently negative, destructive or whiny).

6. Show The Work – By releasing your work into the pubic sphere you are communicating something personal about yourself and your point of view.  Many artists find this to be an important ritual that makes room for new ideas to form and renewed energies to build towards the next work being born. Despite all the negative aspects associated with our tech dominated world, one way our noisy, notification filled world of social media, blogging, texting, messaging, etc., can be leveraged in our favor is by sharing our work and aspect of our process regularly.

   
   

   “The reason to make art is to innovate and self-express, show something new, share what’s inside, and communicate your singular perspective.”

   ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being

   
   

   You can still find physical space to show your work in galleries, craft shows, plein air events and so forth but if your schedule is jam packed with meetings and ball games, you can get similar benefits from sharing your latest work on social media.

   
   

   When it comes to learning something complicated like painting, I’ve found that the system you adopt is not the most important thing.  The most important thing is that you have a system.  …and that you own it.

If you are interested in learning to paint, I share all of this with you for the purpose of helping you create your own learning process that fits with your life circumstances. Take whatever may resonate with you and make it your own.

Cheers!