The Lynne Perrella Experience

While I was looking at my photos from Artfest this afternoon, I realized that I hadn’t written a post about the workshop I’d taken with Lynne Perrella. But this probably has more to do with procrastination than oversight.
Over the years I’ve taken quite a few art classes. Most of them of them have been focused on incorporating new techniques into a finished project, so this kind of workshop is usually easier to write about. However, a show-and-tell really doesn’t do Lynne Perrella justice because she’s on a different wavelength entirely.
Even though Lynne shared plenty of techniques with us, what you take away from her is an experience rather than a how to. Personally, this is my favorite kind of class. I figure you can always pick up techniques from a book, and while you may not do them well, at least you have a starting point. But once you’re given a window into the mindset and practice of an artist you admire, you gain the kind of inspiration that stays with you long after the latest technique has galloped off into the sunset.
Lynne herself is an interesting mix of the controlled and the spontaneous. If I could describe her method of working, it would be that she has a definite way of proceeding, but will deviate from this in a heartbeat if takes her to where she wants to go. And where she’s always headed to is that place where she expresses herself best by staying engaged in the process.
Of course I went off on a tangent myself and didn’t finish the class project as usual (see a snippet above). In my opinion, another couple of days with Lynne would have been ideal. But it was the Artfest workshop I gained the most from, not only in terms of what I could do with my own art, but also how important it is to stay tuned into your own vision of things and to stick with it.
P.S. If you want to see more from Lynne Perrella’s class and other Artfest stuff, visit my friend Janne’s blog and check it out.