What I learned from going back to High School ... at 41!

Who's got a story they'd rather not share?  OK I'll go first..

I.  Am an Art Failure.

A.F.

I wanted an 'A'.  I got an 'F'.

So I tried again.  Went back to high school ... when I was 41!

High School Art, then Uni come get me, kind of thing.

I'd need a portfolio, said Uni, for Fine Arts.  (There's that F.A. again is that a joke?!)

I signed up for Painting.

Was Printing hard, I asked.  You know, from home..?

Pbbt. Kitchen bench, stuff! they said.

(Tick!)  Where do I sign, I said.

So in 2012 I did Year 13 Painting and Printmaking.  Half a fulltime students workload.


And what did I learn?  In no particular order of psychological trauma -

• No matter how much you suck, there are artist models for you

• Don't tell the people you live with how much housework you won't be doing.  By the time they notice, you've got assignments to hand in, OK?!?

• Don't wag.  You'll only have to do it again when you've got a mortgage

• Pencil sketching is like eating your greens.  No wonder kids wag

• Think your boss is scary? Try drawing some still-life's then showing the teacher

• Inspiration is a fickle mistress.  At 41 you don't have a lot of time left.  RTFQ then start

• You will do things you never imagined like breaking your own parenting rules on the fly (*no children harmed physically*)

• You will look at a lot of in-your-face nudity and talk about it with your teacher.  Even at 41, it's awkward

• Life isn't a marathon.  It's a series of sprints.  Or a year working at your kitchen bench

Here are some photo's of all the food I did not make at the kitchen bench.  

And some of the pictures I did.