Growth Comes From Practice
featuring Lorenzo Chavez
Lorenzo was once asked by a student how they could progress quicker in a painting class. The first thing that came to Lorenzo’s mind was: it depends on how much practice the student was willing to do. As an instructor, Lorenzo gears his lessons to fundamentals and good, solid information. These are the things that have helped him grow as an artist. It is one thing to share it, and one thing to demo it. But, it is another thing to practice it. The lesson is the tip of the iceberg, and the practice is the big chunk below the surface that has to be done. Practice is the way to grow.
“The painting may be 3.5 miles of success, but there was a lot of practice underneath. This is the real joy of painting and the part that is the treasure.”
The amount of dedication of your own time to practicing and studying, and acquiring knowledge by looking at good art, adds to your growth. A lesson from an instructor will be a good pointer by telling you what to try. But, practice has to be done to actually see that growth. Lorenzo has tried to approach the same thing in his career as well. A good artist told him to go out and do multiples of what is recommended.
“Pacific Impressions,” Pastel by Lorenzo Chavez
If you were going to run a race, there are a lot of miles that are put in before the race day. Lorenzo was a long-distance runner. The race may have been 3.5 miles, but he had already put in 125 miles of practice the same week! Art can be the same way. The painting may be 3.5 miles of success, but there was a lot of practice underneath. This is the real joy of painting and the part that is the treasure.
“The lesson is the tip of the iceberg, and the practice is the big chunk below the surface that has to be done. ”
Many artists feel they don’t have this much time to devote, which is fine. But, Lorenzo and Gabor encourage you to not be disappointed if a painting does not turn out when you have not been able to dedicate the time to practice. There is a reason you are not quite where you want to be yet, and we need to be honest with ourselves about where we are as artists. If you can dedicate half an hour to an hour a day, you will still see progress. If you are not a full-time artist, it can be unrealistic to do more than that. You will see progress with consistency, even if it’s for a shorter amount of time than you think is “right.”
Here is a summary of this article
- Lorenzo Chavez emphasizes the importance of practice for progress in painting, tailoring his lessons to fundamentals and solid information.
- Practice is described as the substantial part of growth in art, likened to the unseen portion of an iceberg beneath the surface.
- Lorenzo highlights that the joy and treasure in painting come from the extensive practice underlying the final piece.
- Dedication to self-practice, study, and appreciation of good art are crucial for artistic growth.
- A lesson from an instructor serves as a guide, but actual growth is observed through consistent practice.
- The analogy of training for a race is used to illustrate the necessity of practice in art, drawing from Lorenzo’s experience as a long-distance runner.
- Artists should maintain realistic expectations about their progress based on the time they can devote to practice.
- Consistent practice, even in shorter daily sessions, leads to progress in art.
Listen to Gabor and Lorenzo on the Paint & Clay Podcast here.