L4E Autum Winter 2023 - Catalog - Page 15
Ron’s Story
From paint by numbers to exhibiting at the City Screen
In addition to the support and
encouragement to produce and exhibit my
own art works the Oil Painting courses I
have attended have been manifold. The classes
I have taken part in straddled Covid and with
it the debilitations of enforced isolation and
impact on mental wellbeing. In my own case,
this was further exacerbated by months of
I enjoyed the course, exploring brush types,
types of painting surfaces, the mixing of paints treatment for and recovery from cancer.
During my treatment, for those periods when
etc. Our tutor, Liz Foster applied excellent
I could not paint I sketched out and planned
teaching technique. She is encouraging and
pushes her pupils to develop their own style for future work. When I was in a position to
paint again, the work I completed acted as a
and approach to their work. Her extensive
catharsis helping me through a very difficult
knowledge and interest in art and artists
period in my life.
leads by example. It certainly helped me
cultivate the individuality of my work.
Even now I find the classes of great benefit.
They provide an environment which spurs
Liz encouraged me to promote my work,
me on to create – I’m very lazy when left
showing me how, for example, to use
to my own devices. There is a strong bond
Instagram to platform my paintings from
between the class, a working cohesion which
which to a certain degree, I could gather
I find helps me enormously.
feedback from a wide audience. I was
encouraged to exhibit my work and was
given the opportunity to by City Screen,
York. This came about through another York
Learning tutor, Carolyn Coles’s, contact with
that organisation. Liz provided support and
advice throughout the preparatory work
required to set up the exhibition which ran
from 15th January to the 11th February 2023,
most of this help was given outside of class
time.
I started oil painting after joining the
Beginners Oil Painting course in 2018.
This was the first time I had used oil paint
since a Christmas gift of a ‘Paint by Numbers’
pack (of the ‘Laughing Cavalier’ I recall) many,
many years ago.
01904 554277 I www.yorklearning.org.uk I Leaner Story
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