Sharing My Love of Painting
I volunteered as an art docent for children for many years to first and foremost, spread my love of art, but also because I value art in education.
The cognitive and psychological benefits of the creative arts are well-documented and there are even quantifiable changes in brain structure among art students. If you have never picked up a brush and experienced the trepidation and thrill of painting, maybe now is the time!
I went to a high school which had no art course offering of any kind, and when I went to college I was so busy with engineering classes, holding down up to three jobs, and AFROTC, that I did not have any room in my schedule for art. When I graduated and started working in Southern California, I took my first oil painting class in the Redondo Beach Recreation Program. I had wanted an oil painting for my tiny apartment and figured I could make one I’d like for less than the cost to buy one. I painted a fall landscape scene, and then three more landscapes. It was a hobby which somehow clicked with my love of nature.
My late mother wanted to support my new hobby and offered to buy the large impressionistic painting I had made of flowers on a fence, to help me afford supplies. I continued taking many painting and art courses from Colorado College, UCSC Extension, Stanford Continuing Studies, and De Anza College with no objective other than personal enjoyment. When my kids attended K-5 in CUSD, I volunteered my knowledge in the classroom to share my love of art and together made many large group projects with the students.
During Zoom meetings, my easel is in the background with what I currently am working on because my desk area is in my carved out studio space. I have continued painting as a hobby for over 30 years, and I hope that by sharing some of my work, others will feel inspired to explore the creative arts themselves, and enjoy the benefits.
I have posted many time-lapse videos of oil paintings on my channel and I also have a blog. I am sharing three time-lapse videos below along with a group of landscapes and still life florals.
Happy painting!
Fall foliage surrounds the (Community) church in the village of Stowe, Vermont. 18"x24" oil on canvas. This is the the village I lived in as a child.
I hope the artwork I have shared inspires you to take up painting or some other creative endeavor for your good health in these challenging times!
-Kitty Moore
