Art Teaching Philosophy – Paint with Feeling and Find Your Own Direction
My approach to Art Tuion is Different - it's not about How it's about What and Why - it's about Getting Heart in Your Art
This page is about my art teaching philosophy - View my Art Teaching page for Tuition Details.
Individuality Makes Original Art
Painting is about Personal Expression. We are all different and our individuality can drive us to make paintings that are personally satisfying.
A Personal Approach to Art Teaching
I’ve taught people to fly, to program computers, and to manage teams — yet none of these compare with the challenge of teaching people to paint. Those earlier subjects were mainly about technical competence. Painting is different. It isn’t just a skill - it’s an act of self discovery.
From Learning “How” to Discovering “Why”
When I first learned to paint, the how-to courses were useful but unsatisfying. I could paint better, but I didn’t know why. It felt like I was learning to fly beautifully but with nowhere to go. Everything changed when I found a course in the USA called Find Your Own Direction. It showed me that real art emerges when you take your own road. Since then, after working with several like-minded tutors, my paintings have become deeply personal and very rewarding.
Helping Others Paint Their Own Way
My goal is to help others discover their artistic voice - to make paintings they truly care about. My sessions don’t focus on striving for a perfect technique or formulaic results. Instead, I help artists release their latent creativity and paint from emotion, not imitation. There are plenty of technique classes; I offer something more meaningful - teaching that helps you find yourself in your painting.
Painting with Feeling
Someone once told me, “your brush is an extension of you - it connects directly to your emotions.” That is the essence of my teaching philosophy. I encourage students to look inward, find what moves them, and let that flow onto the paper in their own way. Painting is personal expression - our differences make art individual, engaging, and alive.
Breaking Free from Rules
Many painters get stuck in a way of working that suppresses creativity. Watercolour, for example, can intimidate because of traditional teaching methods. I show students that there are many ways to use watercolour to free them to express themselves instead of following the watercolour rules. Beginners often have an advantage: they haven’t been trained into one right approach.
Enjoyment and Courage in Learning
Like flying, painting well requires seriousness of intent but it should also be fun. Enjoyment lubricates learning, and with painting, unlike flying, you can be bold and take risks - I encourage that to the full.
Join Me
Ready to explore your own direction? Join one of my art workshops in Dorset with the Christchurch U3A Organisation. Discover the confidence to paint with feeling — in your own way.