Aims and Objectives
I share with all my students before the start of my courses (this is for Rocks but applicable to all courses) and my general wishes for people when they embark on their miniature painting journeys, here for you convenience:
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To enjoy painting rocks
To provide a foundation skill set of the basic miniature painting techniques including line and colourwork common to the Persian and Mughal schools and to reveal how the Chinese school influenced these in terms of line etc
To show students the basic forms of rock iconography and the continuum of rocks that exists between Persia, Mughal India and China
To create an awareness of how cultural exchange can enrich existing traditions and spark new ones
To foster an understanding of how synthesis, if done well and in the right spirit, can equal more than the sum of its parts
To have fun on the course
To experience to a certain degree the sheer pleasure that is part of the making process and the sense of accomplishment of having made something with their own hands
To realise that there are no ‘wrong’ rocks and to relax, trust and enjoy the process
To instil an awareness of how rocks fit in to the wider world of miniatures and paintings and their design, and a basic awareness of the fundamental principles behind these designs
To introduce students to a bit of the spirituality, theory and historical development behind rocks; mostly this is a practical skills course so students will come away with a set of practical skills to work with in future
To know how to make classic and traditional forms unique by adding their own elements, colours and flavours in keeping with the harmony of the piece
To recognize the different traditions of painting rocks and to be able to discern to a certain degree the differences between the various schools and their contexts
To engender a love for painting and a desire to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the world
To be inspired by the traditional arts
To use both traditional natural pigments and modern synthetics in their work and most importantly to know the difference; this is not a natural pigments course though provision will be made for some natural pigments especially malachite, and to be aware of the alchemical transmutations of stone to the jewels and gold to painting; to make it easy for students to continue with widely-available materials in the UK
To begin to make connections between the flow of the paintbrush, the flow of the rocks and the flow experienced when painting in a state of complete harmony with one’s materials; to begin to experience Csikszentmihalyi's flow and its relationship to the psychology of happiness
To work hard and play hard
In order to achieve these aims, students can TAKE NOTES AND PHOTOGRAPHS of their processes for their future records and have ample time and space to practise the forms before committing to their final lines on their pieces; they will have practise papers beside their pieces and do plenty of brush exercises to warm up. Visual aids will be provided to work from directly such as photocopies and worksheets, or as help and inspiration. By the end of the course, participants will have an example of a finished painting either to continue as part of a larger miniature or as a stand-alone piece.