Turp Can___a study

"Turp Can__study" a study for C. in her sketchbook
I have had a couple of LLLOOONNNGGG days at the Western Art Academy. The show is Saturday and these artists have just a day and a half to finish their two big paintings and their 18" sculptures. I have restrained myself from acting out the "Elves and the Shoemaker" story: wanting to sneak in after hours to tweak the paintings "just so". These students have NEVER worked with oils before. They are VERY talented, but most have only worked with pencil!....no color experience to speak of. So the talent is there, and all they need is time to develop, but we don't have much of that. They have to just TRUST me, and do the painting by believing that what I say will work....yet they all have their OWN "bent" for art and of course they can't help but following their bent at times! So in order to get a point across sometimes I will do a stroke or two on their painting (which they quickly cover up or adjust to lay claim to it), but more often, I will create a little sketch in their sketchbook (with shapes of color), to suggest solutions to problems....here is one for C. who struggled with the turp can today.