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I was blessed last week, along with 13 other students of pastel, as we learned from the skillful and experienced teaching of Jeanne Rosier Smith.  You can peruse her superb art at Jeanne's website (jeannerosiersmith.com), especially her portrayals of coastal themes from the northeastern United States. After her time on the upper Texas coast, I imagine a painting or two inspired by the Gulf of Mexico may appear on her website.

As appealing as Jeanne's art is,  the focus of this message is her exceptional ability to teach others principles of color, composition, light, subject simplification, and other elements of effective, successful paintings.  Following a relaxed, comfortable self-introduction by each of the students, the instructional pattern was set.  Jeanne would describe, discuss and demonstrate certain principles and techniques, followed by practice exercises  that incorporated the principles and techniques being taught.  We were then challenged to execute a pastel painting (always preceded by a small grayscale sketch) that demonstrated those same principles and techniques that were the subject of that particular session. To complete each segment of the instruction, Jeanne would critique and discuss each student's work with the class.  Her critiques were firm and clear in content, gentle and even in temperament, and constructive and helpful in all respects.  Just like pastel, which is ordinarily applied layer upon layer, Jeanne's teaching approach was layered so that each successive step reinforced and strengthened the prior.

This four-day workshop was held at the Center for the Arts and Sciences at Brazosport College in Clute, Texas (about 55 miles southwest of Houston).  The college has beautiful facilities, perfect for workshop activities, and the staff and volunteers at the college could not have been more welcoming or gracious.  Karole accompanied me on this venture (indeed, I could not have made the journey or participated fully in the workshop without her help, encouragement and support - which included most of the driving from Beeville to Clute and back).  She spent a great deal of time familiarizing herself with the campus and its opportunities.  As a result, we spent one night learning about the college's planetarium (a place where the astronauts learn and train), and we spent time in the adjoining museum primarily observing its coastal-themed displays, but also enjoying other materials, especially the fairly concise summary of Native American occupation and cultural periods in Texas. We also had some time enjoying the 60+ pastel paintings that were juried into the Art of the Pastel 2018 exhibit on display at the College's Art Gallery.  This exhibit is annually sponsored by the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas.  The exhibit is an open, national exhibit, and I was fortunate to have all three of my submissions (The Sun Still Rises in Rockport, Creek at the Pecan Grove and Where the People Once Lived) juried into the exhibit.

Lest it sound like all we did was walk around campus, I assure you that Jeanne is an intense and persistent taskmaster.  All sessions began promptly at 9:30 a.m., going straight through 12:30 p.m.  We then broke 45 minutes for lunch, picking up again at 1:15 p.m. and continuing until at least 4:30 p.m.  During the sessions we were encouraged to take periodic breaks, wander around to see what other students were doing, and to consider and reflect upon where we were at any particular place in the instruction.  The camaraderie of the participants was excellent, and added greatly to the total experience.  Jeanne was there to teach, and I think it is fair to say the students were there to learn.

Any artist has heard about and even followed some or all of the principles and techniques that Jeanne taught during this workshop.  What elevated her approach for me was Jeanne's thorough preparation for each session, her complete command of the subject matter and related details and perhaps most important of all, her excellent teaching skills and ability to communicate with her class.  Undoubtedly, her prior experience teaching English at the college level enhanced her art teaching skills, but the added qualities of professionalism, passion, energy and intensity made this a world-class learning experience. 

Kudos and thank-yous to Anne Maree Healey and the rest of the leadership of the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas for bringing such a skilled and capable instructor to the south Texas region.   As Anne Maree advised several years back, if you ever have the chance to take a Jeanne Rosier Smith workshop, be sure to jump in.  You will learn more than you thought possible, and it will be a great experience!

Respectfully,

Tom Beasley

May 2, 2018