I love painting, I find it to be very relaxing and a great way to disconnect from the world. When I was teaching with my LOP I ran the miniature painting that went on for the College Heights nerdy gaming club. I really enjoyed that experience as it allowed me to connect with students and show them my hobby.
My main goal was to share this awesome hobby and show students had they can choose to do anything with paint and imagination. I believe that we should have creative outlets that we can use to relax. It also allows you to look at the world in different ways. It you paint you start seeing colours and can begin to mix colours together to get the colours you want. You look at textures and can mimic them in your work. It is crazy how a hobby can rewire your mind and create a new way to interact with the world around you. I find myself drifting off and imaging how to paint something when I need to relax. I want to introduce students to a low stress activity they can do when they want to turn their brains off. You can also use Art as a way to see technique regardless of what the end product actually looks like. I have below one of my favorite pieces I have ever painted and while yes it is very disturbing and unsettling it shows my stills with color, shading, use of an air brush, attention to detail, and color gradient. And I apply this mindset to my grading, If I can see the bones of a good product a student is showing me that they are trying are on the right track.