That Smile Says It All… Learning to Paint at Mawgan Porth
There are moments during an art lesson when you really don’t need words. The expression on this young man’s face as he held up his finished painting said everything.
He was proud of what he had created… and quite rightly so.
We were painting on the beach at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, surrounded by the very landscape he was learning to understand and translate into paint.
Learning to see rather than learning to copy
When I teach art, I don’t want a student simply copying my painting. If everyone leaves with an identical picture, I haven’t really given them the knowledge to continue without me.
Instead, I teach the fundamentals behind what they are looking at.
We explore how the sea behaves, why waves appear as they do, how light and colour change with distance, where the horizon belongs and how different movements of the brush can create completely different effects.
It is what I often describe as learning the grammar, spelling and punctuation of art.
Once you begin to understand those fundamentals, you have choices. You can decide what to emphasise, what to simplify and how you want your own artwork to feel.
The wonderful moment when “I can’t” becomes “I did”
This young artist listened, experimented and absorbed the information beautifully. Gradually his own little seascape emerged, complete with sky, distant sea, breaking waves, wet sand and that tiny figure giving the painting a wonderful sense of scale.
Most importantly, it was his painting.
I may provide the knowledge and demonstrate techniques, but I want the student to make the decisions and the marks. That is how confidence begins to grow.
There is something rather special about seeing someone look at their finished artwork and realise, “I did that.”
Art lessons on the beach in Cornwall
My Art At The Beach lessons at Mawgan Porth are for children, teenagers and adults, including complete beginners and experienced artists who want to deepen their understanding.
The aim isn’t to teach one particular style. It is to give people the knowledge to develop their own.
Give someone a picture to copy and they may produce one painting. Give them the knowledge to understand what they are seeing and you can open the door to hundreds more.
And sometimes the beginning of that journey can be seen in something as simple as a very proud smile on a Cornish beach. 🌊🎨
Jeanni Grant-Nelson
Art At The Beach
Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
