May/June 2011 Cover Artist
No Failure, Only Feedback
by Christopher Bibby
Jackson Tower is one of the first watercolor paintings I produced when I arrived in Portland.
I wanted to describe the city in the winter using the unique watercolor techniques I taught myself seven years earlier in Glasgow, Scotland.
At the time, I was living on my sister’s couch. Addicted to self-help books, I picked up Quantum Learning, which told me that I can do anything. The only reason I had always failed was because I lacked the confidence to keep learning when I made a mistake.
There is no failure, only feedback.
Giving the book's theory a try, I taught myself watercolor painting by creating up to 20 paintings a day for six months. After every painting, I would have a special critique session, finding both faults in the painting plus positive points. A year after I began painting, at age 22 I became the youngest self-published artist in Scotland.
I feel very fortunate that I took a chance on myself and succeeded.
Christopher Bibby, a Portland-based artist, created Jackson Tower on the cover of New Connexion. For details about his paintings and art workshops, visit www.bibbyscapes.com.