A Day of Discovery

There are five of us seated in front of the easels, all anxiously looking at Nico as he talks in length about techniques and brushstrokes. He has a small stack of canvases leaning up against a wall and when he’s finished talking, he begins hanging them from hooks on the rough stone wall behind him. The riot of colour against the stark whitewash is dramatic. The theme is nature, but there are a wide variety of differing styles.

‘This first painting is by a professional artist friend of mine whose work sells for tens of thousands of pounds. Fortunately, I purchased it at the very start of his career when he was struggling to afford to buy paint and on the verge of giving up. Everything else here has been painted by people sitting where you’re sitting, some of whom were picking up a brush for the very first time.’

I can see we’re all impressed by that. All of the canvases are interesting; admittedly, two are in a style that is quite traditional and although they are very good, they’re not something I’d hang on my wall at home. But the others are good in a different way, more thought-provoking.

‘The point I’m making,’ Nico says with gusto, ‘is that there is no right or wrong when it comes to art. There is only what is in the eye of the artist and once you commit to that, what will flow from your fingertips will be what is in your heart. You cannot – and must not – concern yourself with the eye of the beholder.

‘The role of the artist is to express what is within. Like reading a book, the beholder who engages with your vision as the creator will appreciate and understand it. Others won’t, but some artists perceive that as a failing. However, one school of thought is that pain is a necessity, anyway, when it comes to producing great art. That is true in some cases and with great talent often comes a great burden, which, as we all know, isn’t specific to this form of self-expression. Look at Kurt Cobain, or John Belushi, for instance. Both very talented in their respective fields, unique yet troubled.’

He smiles and looks at each of us in turn. I find myself holding my breath, captivated by the strength of the emotion in his words.

‘When you pick up the brush, I don’t want you to hesitate. Take that sense of uniqueness lying deep within and go with it. The fear is always “Will I be good enough? What will other people around me think of my work?” and that very natural reaction is what will hold you back. It will stifle your creativity if you let it.