One of the important skills we will learn this semester is developing the ability to separate our visual awareness (perception) from our conceptual understanding. By that I mean our ability to see the real pear for example, and not the symbol of the pear that we carry around in our visual memory. Often when first learning to paint perceptually you may end up with a mash up of perception and symbol. Learning to ignore symbolic knowledge can be challenging. It is helpful to understand that painting is a process of constructing and building a representation of what you are seeing, and is fundamentally only about relationships. A line or shape or color is correct only “in relation” to everything else in the painting. So the process of making a painting is about finding the relationships between things……by using your newly developing skills. Sighting angles, triangulation, and using negative spaces will improve your ability to see color and shape. Painting is a lifelong project with lots of levels and new experiences that are both challenging and extremely fun. It is important to know that it is a skill that takes practice, time and patience and not something magical or automatic, Picasso said, “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”!