Art adventure

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay Advertiser published an article in last week's newspaper in which local art teachers noted that retirees were realising their lifelong dreams of doing art.

One of the teachers, Estelle Mc Ilrath was extremely animated about the benefits of art lessons and not all of her comments could be contained in the article.

PHOTO GALLERY: Art lessons with local art teacher

She waxed lyrical about art and insisted that someone from Mossel Bay Advertiser attend an art lesson to experience her teaching techniques.

Estelle gives lessons in a studio at her home in Dana Bay.

Clay

She provided a piece of "air dry" clay and the task was to create a fish. First there was a quick lesson on the characteristics and appearance of fish and referencing of photographs and diagrams of fish.

A three-dimenional fish was created within minutes. There was a feeling of, "Urgh, I don't feel like doing this," before starting, but one had no choice, so one soldiered on. Nelson Mandela said: "It always seems impossible until it is done."

Estelle kept close observation as the fish was being modelled and gave guidelines and suggestions during the process. Various modelling tools had to be used for the clay.

Afterwards she said: "That's a good fish and look, you did it in 15 minutes. I was watching you.

"You used both hands. You have never solved the problem before of making a fish. You have extended your brain to accommodate that and you will never look at a fish in the same way again. You also lost track of time while you were working and you were making decisions all the time - which tool to use for what."

Energising

All in all, the experience was fun, energising and one felt a sense of achievement after doing something one had not done before.

Estelle says that with art, it is impossible to fail. "There are teachers who don't make the grade, but not pupils," she says. "There's no such thing as a child who is a failure, but a teacher who fails to communicate. Learning is fun."

She notes: "Art is stress relief, self-discovery, adventure, social interaction and physical and mental stimulation. It is not confined to rules. Why do we limit ourselves?"

Estelle's child art students later told her they loved her lessons because all they did was play. Her students explore many art media and techniques.

She encourages people to "play with art to find out how fantastic they are and what they can do". She urges: "Don't be scared to try something new. Everyone should be exposed to art. It is essential. It unites both sides of the brain."