A Painter's Journey Part 7 – The Painter As Teacher

In the final article of this seven-part series, John Hulsey concludes his visual journey through his outdoor and studio painting processes.

When God Softly Speaks, watercolor, 23½ x 41½ (57 x 105 cm) As I gained confidence with my Plein air watercolors, I tried ever-larger paintings to try and express my experience with the vastness of the landscape. Here, a one-point perspective is framed by the rhythmic tree plantings. It beckons us to take a walk with my collie, Painter, along a familiar path toward our home along the Hudson River in Garrison, New York.

I have always believed that the ability to make a life as an artist is a rare privilege, and with that privilege comes a measure of responsibility. I have also noticed that the world works on the principle of a circle, call it karma, and to receive one must give. For many of us, the giving back process manifests in the form of teaching and sharing the knowledge we have been able to gather up and confirm through decades of doing what we love. Teaching is not for everyone, of course. Not every artist or painter possesses the temperament or interest in becoming an effective, if not inspiring teacher. Both my wife, Ann, and I had teachers in art school who probably should not have been in front of a group of impressionable young artists. However, those bad experiences were actually beneficial to us because they taught us a lot about what kind of teachers we would mold ourselves into later on.