Testimonials 3

When I decided to take an early retirement in 2005, I made up my mind that I would devote a good portion of my newfound free time to the study of art, and to watercolor painting in particular. So, in addition to purchasing and studying numerous books, (I have more than 50 in my collection so far), as well as workshop videos and DVDs, I took various watercolor workshops and classes.

I'm sorry to say that my first few classes did very little to advance my painting knowledge, or my technical expertise. However, I did learn two very valuable lessons about art teachers: (1) While some teachers may be considered "painters," that does not necessarily make them "artists," and; (2) While some watercolor teachers may in fact be outstanding "artists," that does not necessarily mean that they have what it takes to be good "teachers of art."

So, up to that point, my mentors were either teachers who were fairly good painting technicians, but certainly not artists, or "teachers" who were truly fine artists, but who apparently had no idea whatsoever how to convey their extensive knowledge to their fledgling students. And then, fortunately, I found Alan Morris. In the Fall of 2006, I took a six-week watercolor painting course that he taught, and since then have taken private lessons from Alan, and have been abundantly blessed by his teaching abilities, and by his kindness, warmth and generosity as a human being.

Once you have seen a sample of his work, it goes without saying that Alan is a talented artist, not just a gifted craftsman, (which he also is). I suppose Alan's style would be considered "loose," a style which I greatly admire. However, I have learned from Alan that being "loose" does not mean your work is random or without purpose. A "loose" painting actually requires a good bit of thought, planning and design to accomplish. And Alan is able not only to produce such works himself, but to convey to his students how they may work toward achieving such results for themselves.

But Alan's teaching goes far beyond mere technical abilities. Again, you only need to look at his drawings, paintings and sculptures to be struck by his keen and compassionate insight into the human condition in the way that he captures the pain, joy, hope, sorrow, anguish, pride, contentment, loneliness, in other words, the whole gamut of human feelings and aspirations. Only an "artist" can do that.

Alan will tell you, as he has told me, that, "As artists, (as opposed to "painters"), we have a story to tell in our paintings, and we want our viewers to grasp the essence of what it was that captivated us about the subject to make us want to paint it." Alan certainly accomplishes that.

Alan is a gifted, competent, caring, patient and encouraging teacher, as well as an outstanding human being, and I have benefited much from his tutelage. I highly recommend Alan's teaching to any aspiring "artist" of any skill level.

Hank P
Oakdale, PA