Imagine the room full of anticipation. The easels are set up like tents. You are handed a paintbrush. This brush suddenly isn’t your ordinary one. You are Excalibur. Today, however, your enemies will not be real, they’ll just be paint pigments.
The first time you walk into The Tingology painting course, it can be like walking through Wonderland. All around you, vibrant colors scream. A tantalizing scent of freshly painted acrylics fills the air, as does a buzz that shouts out “Create!” As you stare at your canvas blank, you are unsure where to begin. Color is a new modern quest.
The same as baking, learning how to mix colors is difficult without any recipe. This requires dabbing here and splashing there. It’s amazing to watch as the colors of blue, yellow, and green dance in unison. You’ve received your Hogwarts acceptance letter in liquid pigment. Although your initial attempts may look as if paint was blended with a mixer, it’s fine. Not all art requires precision. Some art involves chaos. You can find yourself within the swirls and droplets.
Brushes are next. They range in size from “what’s-the-point-it’s-so-small?” to “mop-the-floor-with-it” huge. You can’t begin to imagine their names. These colors, whether they be flats or brights, would all have a place at any dinner party. The choice becomes less about functionality and more about how it feels in your grip. Less science, more sorcery.
You will often encounter instructors that have the kind of wisdom and knowledge to make Bob Ross tear up. These instructors help you to find balance between colors and forms. You can transform your blobs of color into meaningful intentions with their advice. You’re sometimes left alone to do your thing, as if they were proud parents at the school play. But, when you forget your lines, you can feel them stepping in.
This creates a social melting pot that fosters spontaneity. Bumping elbows with someone as you all try not to spill your coffee on masterpieces-in-progress creates bonds faster than a group workout on a Monday morning. You may find yourself telling stories of notable art failures. Then you realize that your language is the same: “Whoops!”
It’s a great option for people with busy schedules who want to get creative. As the studio is on your couch, pajamas can be worn as an official uniform. With each stroke of the brush, you can stop reality. With this digital getaway, people around the globe can enjoy moments of Zen.
The paint and the brushes don’t make it all. This is the therapeutic session you’ve never expected to have, as it unfolds across every canvas. Even a day which seems impossible to unravel can have a partial solution with slashes of cobalt or burnt sienna. It only takes a little lathering, rinsing, and painting to get rid of the mist.
Painting courses are not just about producing work for the museum. Painting is not about producing museum-worthy work. Instead, it’s all about the love of the splatters. This is the process of transforming your thought into visible, tangible art that exists because you were brave enough to dare create. While you were discovering the color hidden in your surroundings, you may also have discovered shades of you.
Take your brush, staring at the canvas that is empty, paint something you will smile about the next morning. Be it hanging on a bedroom wall or the corner of a wardrobe, all art is made with passion. This is, dear Reader, where the magic occurs.