A newfound confidence for Norma

 One aspect of her job that Norma enjoyed hugely was putting on art exhibitions in the locations in the museums that she managed, and she had absolutely no thoughts of early retirement. However, when her daughter married and had the first of her two grandsons, she would see pictures of the baby and knew that she wanted to be a hands-on granny and very much involved.

Now, at the age of 65, Norma has been retired for 6 years, and she has no regrets. Her husband has also recently retired, and they are both very much focused on family, with another grandson now in the fold, and her son recently married. Like many retired couples, they are looking forward to holidays and lots of travel, but lo and behold, Norma has finally managed to realise her dream of finding her feet as an artist!

Just before the pandemic, Norma heard about the Little Art School through a promotion online, and she thought it looked interesting. She did a little more investigation and the fact that the course was so structured, and she could go at her own pace was really appealing. Everything was explained through a step-by-step approach that seemed perfect for Norma’s issues with confidence.

She began the Little Art School Online Course just before lockdown and found it an amazing solace throughout the pandemic. There was just so much doom and gloom around, and she couldn’t see her family as much as she would have liked, but she could lose herself for hours at her dining room table with Joanne and her lessons, taking as long as she liked with each exercise, and with lots of support too.

Norma is full of praise for Joanne’s teaching style and approach, and after all these years she says she has finally had a ‘light bulb moment’ in terms of the skills that she’s learned and feeling the benefit of being immersed in art and creativity. She says, “I never ever believed I could do it, but with the clear, concise lessons and the support from Joanne and the other students, I’ve found that, actually, I can!”

I asked Norma if she feels comfortable showing her work to family and friends now, but she is still humble, preferring to keep her work to the Online Art Course Facebook Group. Something that she has been happy to do however, is design and illustrate wedding invitations for her son and daughter-in-law’s recent wedding. Her daughter-in-law asked her to do it, and she was really touched and agreed. It added a lovely, personal touch to the wedding, done in an Art Nouveau style, and they were much admired.

Norma will always have a genuine love for History and plans to travel to Italy as much as she can in her retirement. Her favourite places to visit are Pulio and Menagio at Lake Como, but she also adores Sienna and took a particularly lovely trip to the Amalfi Coast recently too. She’s in awe of Italian culture – the art, the people, the landscape, the light, the food…just everything really!

I asked her if it inspires her to sketch and paint, and she says that indeed it does. She loves to look at the buildings and the landscapes, and with her newfound training, she can see shapes everywhere. Her eye has become attuned through the lessons that she’s completed through the course, and she says, “I feel that now I can just look at a scene and feel more confident in my approach to it as a subject – it’s another lightbulb moment!”

As for her favourite medium? It’s acrylics, simply because they are “so lovely and easy to work with, and so forgiving if you make a mistake”, but she has also developed a love for watercolour recently. She’s enjoyed working in pen and wash too, and particularly enjoyed re-creating a row of terraced houses recently – the results were really effective.

We talk about other sources of inspiration, and she tells me about a recent trip to the audiovisual Michaelangelo exhibition at Braehead, which was amazing. She will get back to Italy soon, but in the meantime, she and her husband have a caravan at Lochgoilhead, which she says is beautiful and they try to go every other weekend for peace, tranquility and lots of Scottish inspiration too.

Norma had a few final thoughts on the course to share with her other potential students. She says, “It has brought back a real joy and love of drawing and painting which has been with me since my younger days, but for me, it’s really helped with my own personal sense of value. It’s shown me that I really can do it and achieve the things I’ve always wanted to achieve!”

 Thank you so much Norma for your time! We can’t think of a lovelier sentiment to end on, and we’re so glad you’re finally blossoming as an artist. It really is never too late!