Tallahassee Community College (TCC) offers several Studio Art courses, which is one of the key reasons I chose to attend this wonderful college. The team of Art Professors are gifted, and talented exhibiting artists, as well as being highly regarded instructors. Additionally, TCC was rated one of the U.S. top 10 colleges by the Aspen Institute in 2021, amongst other national awards of distinction.
Returning to School
I returned to school after almost 20-years, with a life-long goal of learning to draw and paint, and an interest in learning Graphic Design and Web Technologies, which related to my career as a Proposal Manager & Writer. I was honestly intimidated to start “Drawing I” in the Summer of 2021, but was very pleasantly surprised to discover how much fun and low-pressure Professor Julie Baroody made the class. If you are at all interested in learning to draw or to improve your drawing, I highly recommend this fun class!
We started with very simple line drawing exercises that were engaging. and interesting, and progressed through the course to our final project—the copy of a “Master Painting” using soft pastels.
Creating a Master Copy
I chose to copy Paul Cezanne’s, Curtain, Jug and Fruit Bowl, c.1894., because this is one of his colorful fruit paintings. Additionally, his art provides an opportunity to gaze back in time, to an 1800s setting. Much of Cezanne’s artwork leaves room for error and since I was a beginner, this was appealing! If a fold in the drapery was not exact or a curve of an apple was not precisely identical, it would not necessarily take away from the overall appeal of the painting.
Professor Baroody took us through the steps to copy a painting using a grid, which made it a straight-forward process. Overall, I was happy with my work. I estimate that my skills were average in the class and that I was dedicated to improving them. Some of my peer students were very talented, which was also a great source of learning.
Conclusion – Setting up a Home Studio
I was so inspired that I painted a second Cezanne copy at home. I bought an easel and found a good deal on a little studio chair, and set up a painting room in the spare bedroom—all this, after only one term at TCC! My hope is that this article inspires others to experiment with art and to take on new adventures.
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