Following the student art show this weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about art education and how we learn this marvelous thing we call art. My thoughts quickly went back to a recent conversation with a former schoolmate. But before I get to that, let me digress a bit and share a few thoughts about my personal journey toward becoming an artist.

I often lament the fact that I am self-taught.  The pastel portrait workshop I attended and the lessons I’ve followed on The Virtual Instructor website are the closest I’ve come to having any actual art instruction. I do think of myself as an art student, but one who is completely home-schooled without benefit of any formal standards. I create my curriculum based both upon my needs and my desires in art. I do a lot of what I love, and then for good measure, I…