Wrap up of Roger Dean Art Course Spring and Autumn 2020 -Thoughts Going Forward
Roger in his studio, painting.
Today I had my final one-to-one video meeting with Roger Dean, the wrap-up to the Roger Dean Art Course – Autumn 2020.
This whole experience has been exciting, invigorating, challenging, and rewarding. I have met some wonderful fellow students, shared many laughs, created some good memories, learned a ton, and had great fun.
During the meeting the question arose: “What am I doing here? Why am I taking this course?”
Aside from the obvious ‘getting to meet my heroes’ answer, there was another.
Roger’s art has been an inspiration to me from the first moment I saw his work. His art ‘took me places’ beyond the boundaries of my imagination. While fantastic, there was always a singularly powerful sense of ‘place’ in his work. I felt like I was * there. *
I am fascinated and awestruck by nature. While I enjoy painting ‘En Plein Air’, and love painting mountains and scenes from around my home, I have always found fantasy landscapes daunting. Even when Roger’s work ventures off into wild colors, land masses and rock formations that are epic and fantastic, his paintings remain distinctively convincing.
I admire that. It inspired me to create art that is fantastic but grounded. That interplay at the crossroads of wild imagination and believability called to me, but I was unsure how to get there.
Roger asked me, “You already know what you’re doing. What makes you want to take another class?” The answer is clear to me: There is more to learn than can be absorbed in a lifetime. Every new bit of information, technique, process, and ideas that I learn deepens my own artwork, and my enjoyment of this path that I have been on for so many years. I told Roger “Every time I learn something new, I experience the same excitement I felt the first time I drew something and it looked like what I wanted it to.” But it’s even better – I’m not just reliving that moment, I am experiencing that feeling in a newer, deeper, richer way.
The answer to Roger’s question “Why are you taking this class?” became clear. I had always wanted to know: “If I had that knowledge, what would I create with it?” How would I integrate what I’ve learned so far, with Roger’s knowledge, techniques, processes and experience? How would I combine imaginary landscapes and epic fantasy vistas with architecture, objects, animals, people, characters and creatures? What would that world look like?
The exciting part is – I am about to find out.
Now that I’ve completed the courses, my brain is full to bursting. I am excited to take everything I’ve learned in Roger’s courses and begin integrating it, bit by bit; applying the ideas, processes, and techniques to my own art…
I am curious, anxious, and excited to see where it takes me, and in turn to see where I can take my viewer.
Thank you, Roger! You have been gracious, generous, informative, inspiring, and delightful. This has been a wonderful experience.