INSPIRATION
or
Everything I know about art I learned in Mrs. Beckham’s Class
Even as a young child I loved paper. I mostly scribbled on it. Sometimes I crunched it up and smoothed it out again, making it deliciously crackly. I took great delight in a stack of scribbled, crinkly paper. And coloring books. The pristine, uncolored line drawings excited me, and then the filling in with color…! (I still love simple contour drawings and wire structures.)
But in middle school I was in Mrs. Beckham’s art class. New worlds of delight opened up. She was passionate about art and about students. We learned about line, form, shading, perspective, balance, color theory, etc. (Years later when my husband was in art school, he often came home telling me about something he had learned, or some exercise they had done in class and I’d say, “Yeah, we did that in Mrs. Beckham’s class.”) We drew, painted, carved a lino block and printed, built simple looms and wove on them, made clay vessels (oh, these were shockingly awful, but she was very encouraging none-the-less), made enameled copper jewelry…. We learned about the lives of artists, saw works of art…. The first time I went to an art museum and stood, enthralled, in front of an original Van Gogh painting, it was in the company of Mrs. Beckham.
She was definitely inspiring then; and now, nearly forty years later, I still feel her influence. Now I find inspiration in all sorts of places, whether a specific pattern or color scheme I want to use to make something, or just the general inspired feeling I get from a museum or movie that puts me in the mood to create.
The rest of the story: Mrs. B. happened to be the mother of my best friend, so I, fortunate child, was accepted as part of the family. She was always for me, and always an encourager and an inspiration. She left this life six months ago. ~we miss her ~ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=123118306
Go read what others are sharing about inspiration at The Weaver of Grass.
