People, like paintings, have many layers.
My first oil painting class with Molly changed my life. It opened up a world I didn't know I needed, and taught me to see beneath the surface of people and things in order to become a better painter.
In fact, one of the major lessons in Molly's School of Art is Molly saying, "I'm teaching you to see." Molly didn't teach me to paint by numbers, she taught me to look beyond the surface of any painting to see what's underneath.
"Layer upon layer" is another Molly-ism I hear from her to this day. It might be one of the more powerful lessons in art revealing a deeper aspect to life.
Take the portrait above - on the surface it's clear it's a face, but upon closer inspection another layer is revealed. Under the top layer of the portrait is a painting of a house (pictured below.)
People, like paintings, have many layers. I'm so grateful for Molly continuing to remind me to look beneath the surface of a painting... and of people too. You just never know what's beneath the surface, and after years of working with Molly - I'm finally beginning to understand.
Life is a mystery with many layers, but if I take the time to look beneath the surface - a richer picture is revealed, at least in part if not in whole.
Thank you, Molly, for teaching me to see and take the time to look beyond the top layer of people and things. Layer upon layer, you just never know what's underneath.