I’ve been reading a variety of art instructional texts in an effort to find things that will help build my photography chops. I’ve mentioned Betty Edwards’s ‘Draw on the Right Side of the Brain’ methodology previously. I’ve also been exploring a couple of books about watercolor painting too. A new one for me arrived this week, David Bellamy’s ‘Watercolor Landscape Course‘. David is apparently quite a famous watercolorist and educator, although not the David Bellamy I’m familiar with.
The introduction has a number of useful comments for the prospective student. The section ‘Getting Involved In The Subject’ particularly resonated with me. Here’s an excerpt:
The best paintings, I feel, result from the artist having an affinity with the subject. Painting is nothing if not accompanied by the poetry of feeling. You need to find those subjects that excite you most, for only when you find an involvement with the subject can you do your finest work.
This as equally applies to photography and I couldn’t agree more!