I've been invited to do a demo/lecture for a local art group next month. I've done these before and also attend demos by other artists I admire. One of the things I think any artist encounters doing demonstrations is performance anxiety. Fine art painting, for the most part, is a solo act. No one is watching and there are few time restraints. Even when you're painting plein-air, you have a choice to interact with the people who stop by to watch or ignore them. I always have business cards they can pick up, but I don't engage too much in conversation unless I'm taking a break to clean my palette or add more paint. It's so easy to get distracted and lose focus.

Painting for a demonstration includes a certain amount of performance acumen. People want to hear about your process, what you are thinking, how you approach what you're doing, why you choose certain colors, etc. This can distract from concentrating on the subject at hand and result in an inferior painting. There are also time restrictions. Groups usually have announcements and agendas to cover. Luckily watercolor painting can proceed rather quickly, but it's still a challenge to finish a painting in less than 60 or 90 minutes. That's about the maximum time an audience has the patience for.

I try to choose subjects I'm familiar with or that I've done before. Like rehearsing for a play, knowing your "lines" (or in this case, procedure) it helps ease stage fright. I also recommend being prepared to know what to say at certain times to help the performance flow.

My demo will be at the Los Gatos Art Association on Sunday, March 22. I'll post more info about the time and directions on my demos link. This will be a free event.