A the beginning of this lockdown I began to think about learning a new skill, and after considering many options I decided tat I would look into learning how to paint. I did a bit of research online and caught a video by the brilliant artist and art dealer Steve Fisackerly. Steve was speaking on video about how he got into painting and why he paints, and that was enough to inspire me to purchase an easel, some watercolors and brushes, and get started in this new endeavor.

I have had the most wonderful 8 months getting to grips with this new hobby and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is looking for a creative pastime. Here is why I would encourage any of you to start painting.

You Can Do It

My first instinct when I considered painting was ‘I can’t draw’ but this is actually a defense mechanism I believe and it is one we should all get over. If you play football you won’t be as good as Messi, if you act then you probably won’t be as good as Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks, and if you paint then no, you aren’t going to be as good as Van Gogh or Picasso, and that is just fine. Once you decide to paint something, and then actually put brush to canvas, you will soon see just how good you can be.

Time Flies

Of all the hobbies which I have, there are none that are like painting when it comes to the passage of time, which I must tell you has been a blessing during the lockdown. There is something so engrossing about creating something like a work of art, or at least an attempt at one, that the time really does just slip on by. I have been at the easel for 3 hours before and thought that I’d only been there for 30 minutes.

Relaxation

At first I did think that I was going to end up getting quite stressed out by the fact that I couldn’t paint, yet the opposite is true here. This is such a relaxing way to spend your time and I think it is because you are not focused on anything else, you have no real worries or cares, you are just greatly engulfed by this paintwork which you are doing and that leaves no time for other stresses.

Pride

I look at the ten pieces which I have done since lockdown, even the crummy ones which I started with, and I have a genuine sense of pride when I see them. There is a real feeling of self-worth when you look at a piece and think ‘I created that’. To take this blank canvas and actually paint an image onto it, well that is something very special indeed and definitely something which brings about an enormous sense of pride.

Why not give it a go yourself and see what I am talking about?