Art Is Not about Straight Lines

When students approach artist/teacher Renee Agarwal, hopelessly self-conscious about their under-exercised artistic gene and lamenting they ‘can’t even draw a straight line,’ Agarwal just smiles. ‘What’s that have to do with art?’ she says, ‘Get a ruler!’ Agarwal has explored her own talent with a special interest in watercolor and enjoyes sharing her knowledge and encouragement to both adults and children who feel an impulse to explore color and shape. She will be offering a glimpse of her teaching method to members and guests of the Pacific Palisades Art Association on Tuesday, January 25 at 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Specifically, Agarwal will show the audience three types of masking techniques used in watercolor painting to preserve the white of the paper: masking tape, masking fluid and wax resist, using wax or white crayon. ‘I love to teach both privately and in small groups,’ says Agarwal, who remembers being drawn to drawing and painting as a young girl. She grew up in Pacific Palisades, attending local public schools, and graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in fine arts.   She attributes her love of teaching and modest success ( she has taught over 1,000 children in her career) to patience: ‘all those years teaching preschool,’ she concludes.   Agarwal owned and directed Montessori Preschools in San Diego and Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz) for 32 years. She recently returned to her hometown to spend time and look after her father, Lewis Glenn, an architect who not only designed the family home on Haverford but built it by hand. In her own work, Agarwal enjoys painting children and animals, subjects which she has a lot of time to study and which she renders in an alive, energetic manner. She grew up with pets, domestic and wild. ‘I have had the pleasure of living with numerous pets, from hamsters to horses,’ she says. Having recently moved from Santa Cruz, Agarwal was invited to join the Aquarelle Group, a professional artists’ salon founded by her aunt in the 1980s. ‘We meet every two weeks at different people’s homes,’ she explains. ‘The day is equal parts eating and painting. We have breakfast, then work for a couple of hours, then lunch and then critique one another’s work. There are 12 in the group, which encompasses all ages. Our oldest member is 91. Art keeps you young.’ As with many creative people, Agarwal has pursued her interest in music and would probably be on stage had that been offered her. She belonged to a Balkan singing trio and played a frame drum with the Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers, while she lived in Santa Cruz. In fact, she owns a dozen frame drums and plays them all. She was even dragooned into teaching guitar, despite the fact she didn’t play. A parent of one of her students asked her to teach her child. Agarwal at first declined, pointing out that she didn’t play. No matter, she learned a few things, and being a natural musician, probably was too modest. In fact, she says that she did teach a number of children over a period of time. The secret of teaching is a knowledge of the subject, Agarwal says, but perhaps more important is knowing how to convey enthusiasm and energy to the student. She has embraced her return to the Palisades and is eager to resume her teaching and mentoring. She is also available for commissions of children and animals (www.portraits-by-renee.com).