Becoming an artist at 65. Maybe I’m being overly dramatic when all I’ve done is taken up painting as a hobby. Can I call myself an artist? Is it a label that is only earned through proficiency and profit? Is it similar to using the term ‘athlete’?

The dictionary definition of an athlete is ‘a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise’. I’m not sure I would describe myself as proficient, but Hyrox refers to its competitors as athletes. And I’ve successfully completed that four times albeit extremely slowly.

 The dictionary definition of an artist is ‘a person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby’. Second box ticked. So, there you have it. I’m an athlete and an artist. Who would have imagined me claiming this when I was bunking off PE at school and being thrown off ‘O Level’ art.

 I gave up on painting fifty years ago. I’d chosen it as a O Level subject. I can still remember some of my ‘works of art’. But I wasn’t good enough. I was withdrawn from entering the exam. I never put paint to paper again. The only brush I held after that was one to paint walls and woodwork.

 Until last Christmas. I volunteer at The Woodland Trust in my local country park. There are a number of workshops there offering courses on various crafts including art. I spotted an advertisement for a 2-hour workshop to paint a festive robin and I signed up. 

 My motivation in signing up had nothing to do with testing out whether those teachers were correct. It was all about my 70 for 70: 70 new experiences in my 7th decade. This had taken a bit of a battering as a consequence of the pandemic, so I had a bit of catching up to do. Painting a festive Robin ticked a box. 

 But it did more than tick a box. I loved it. What a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours, totally immersed in putting paint to canvas. I had no expectations of myself which on reflection is an unusual place for me to be. I always have expectations of myself even if they are sometimes fairly low.

And I produced a Festive Robin. And not the car crash my teachers would have predicted.

 On the back of what was a fairly successful step into the unknown I signed up for a series of workshops. In these workshops we have experimented with a range of mediums. Pencil, charcoal, pastels (oil-based crayons), water colours, oil and, my favourite, acrylics. 

 What an excellent hobby. One that was denied to me for so many years. Of course, I blame the school for not letting me take my O Level but getting an F would have probably had sent me the same message: you are rubbish at art.

 But I’m not. I’m actually quite good. And it makes you look at the world differently. With more curiosity. 

The first workshop had us picking something from nature to first draw and then paint in acrylics. I picked an oak tree leaf. It was January so it didn’t have its summer bloom. It was brown. But as I started to draw it I noticed its many shades of brown. Too many to capture. 

 

My first charcoal drawing was of a sunflower and I used pastels to produce a blue tit, my favourite bird. 

And then to oils. This time a swan which I was very pleased with.

 As we approached the end of the workshops, I had another go at painting a robin just to see how I’d improved. I had. Although the legs are a little too robust. Robin’s legs are very skinny.

I’ve now completed a second series of workshops where I’ve focused on landscapes. This tree is one that I photographed whilst out walking with a friend in Wiltshire. Who would have thought I’d become someone who would think ‘I’ll paint that’.

However, I don’t have any inclination to paint anything beyond the natural world. I love painting flowers, birds, trees and landscapes. I’ve no desire to paint people or buildings. Yet.

 I feel so grateful to have discovered this hobby. One that I wouldn’t have considered trying except for a random ‘why not’. It is a delicious combination of creativity and mindfulness. For two hours I’m focused on capturing my interpretation of nature. Mixing the colours, putting the brush to paper/canvas. Not thinking about anything else.

 But I am now a little angry that I was put off art at school. School was all about getting a job. It wasn’t concerned with anything that could make life more enjoyable or a little easier. Is it still the same? Are you only allowed to pursue subjects which will improve the school’s exam rankings? I used to be a school governor so I should know the answer, but I don’t. 

What is ironic, if that is the correct term, is that the two subjects I was fairly hopeless at in school, physical education and art, are now my two main interests. I suppose it’s right what they say: it’s never too late.