Conscious Competence?

Oil on canvas panel, 8×6″
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I think I’m finally making a little progress with my oil painting. I’m starting to understand about color temperature and how to make transparent darks (which you absolutely have to protect just like the white of the paper in watercolor). I couldn’t figure out how to get the little highlights on these lemons but maybe I have to wait for the paint to dry and then use a dry brush to sweep across it. Or maybe I could do it with a knife? I tried painting it on with a brush but just kept smearing and muddying the paint. Any suggestions?

In July, I did these lemons on a different green glass plate and …

Lemon on green glass plate (P1010468)
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…I think I see some progress.

My friend Judith told me about a learning theory that divides the stages of learning into four stages:

Unconscious incompetence .(You don’t know how much you don’t know and sometimes have beginner’s luck that makes it seem like it will be easy to learn).
Conscious incompetence. (Now you’ve realized how much you don’t know and how bad you are at the thing you’re trying to learn, and how many people are way ahead of you. You may have the knowledge or information about HOW to do something but not the skill to do it.) A lot of people give up at this point. This is where I’ve been for past couple months.
Conscious competence. (You understand how to do it, you’ve practiced and built some skill, but it doesn’t come naturally. You have to think through each step but you can do it and a basic level.)
Unconscious competence. (It just comes naturally and you don’t have to constantly think through each step.)

Mom was half-right when she said “practice makes perfect.” I know that when I strive for “perfect” I only end up miserable. I think the saying should be “Practice makes Progress” and right now progress feels great after being mired in Conscious Incompetence for months!

Tags Glass, lemons, Oil Painting, Still Life

18 replies on “Conscious Competence?”

I like those four steps. I’d never thought of it like that, but I think it’s true and makes perfect sense. These are good lemons, Jana, well done. I like the reflected light up into the underside. Regarding the highlight, a feather light touch with a soft brush will do it – even “wet into wet” as we say in watercolor. Use a heavy bristle brush and it’s impossible!
Every day I try to chart my next steps based upon my areas of weakness. I don’t let myself get overwhelmed by them. Rather, I feel pleased that I’ve identified areas to study because that’s the first step to growth and mastery. So maybe I’ll think – hmm, I could really work on tree branches/architectural details/reflected light/whatever. I’ll do some how-to research, look at other fine art examples from masters, make some notes, practice, self-critique. Wash, rinse, repeat, indefinitely. As long as I make some progress, no matter how infinitesimally small, I am never discouraged. And so it goes.

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18 replies on “Conscious Competence?”