Seven Lessons at Nine Years Old… Learning How to See

There are moments in teaching when the artwork is wonderful, but the smile says even more.

This lovely nine-year-old young lady has now had seven lessons with me, and what I love most is the range of her work. She has explored seascapes, portraits, drawing and painting, each one showing her own choices, her own interpretation and her own personal stamp.

She is not copying me.

I am not holding her hand.

I am teaching her how to interpret what she sees.

That is the difference.

So many people think art is about copying a picture or being naturally talented. But real progress often comes from something much more useful: knowledge, understanding and the right toolkit.

Once someone begins to understand tone, light, colour, proportion, perspective, shape and observation, they start to make their own decisions. They begin to trust their eye. They stop waiting to be told exactly what to do and start discovering what they are capable of.

And that does not only apply to children.

Whether someone is nine, nineteen, forty-nine or ninety, the effect is often the same. It is not really about age or “natural ability”. It is about being shown how to see, how to understand what is in front of you, and how to express it in your own way.

That is creative confidence.

That is Visual Awareness.

That is the deeper part of what I teach.

Of course, Mawgan Porth Beach in Cornwall is a beautiful place to learn. The sea, sky, cliffs, light and movement make it feel like heaven on earth. I love teaching on the beach whenever I can.

But I also love teaching online and by Zoom, because the real lesson is not only where you are. It is how you learn to see.

When someone suddenly realises, “I can do this,” everything changes.

And sometimes the smile says everything.

📍Mawgan Porth Beach, Cornwall
Art At The Beach by Jeanni
Face-to-face, Zoom and online art lessons available.