Mary Briggs

Excitedly I tore off the colourful wrapping paper. I looked up at her. Our eyes locked and she spoke. “Now Mum, you’ll have no more excuses. No more talking about it. It’s time to start doing it.” “There in a pile were brushes, tubes of oil paint, a palette. All the paraphernalia a budding artist could wish for. Suddenly a new phase of my life was about to begin. “I’ve heard it said that things happen at the right time in our lives. On reflection I feel this has been true for me. How to start? By chance there was to be a workshop by a visiting artist from Bendigo at the Gol Gol Hall. It might be a good idea to learn, to develop technique, before any bad habits had a chance to creep in. “The artist was Lance McNeil. What an inspiration! He influenced me like no other. Artistic know-how flowed out from him in a bubbling cascade. His manner was less fortunate. “He was a taskmaster, never satisfied with ‘just alright’”. It was perfection or nothing. His aim was to teach the understanding of technique to produce the highest level of skill capable in his students. “Often after class I would drive home, tears welling in my eyes from the frustration of not getting something up to his high standard. It was by my own, and his sheer determination to achieve excellence that I continued. I thrived under his guidance, developing the skills that I enjoy today.