Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Painting is a way we bring color into our lives. We paint houses and walls cheerful colors to make us smile. And we paint pictures that remind us of beautiful places or people to hang on our walls. Museums are full of paintings that were done by famous artists.
But does that mean everybody is artistic? Can everybody paint? Or do you need a special kind of talent to take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece?
People use different colors for different feelings. Warm colors, like red and yellow, show love and passion. Cold colors, like blue and green, can either show sadness or quiet. Sometimes it’s therapeutic to paint your feelings. But if you don’t like painting, all the colors might be overwhelming.
Amanda and Marni both paint, but one of them doesn’t like painting at all. Learn about their experiences in this English lesson about art.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Marni: I just went to this art class. I am just the worst painter. I’m so talentless.
Amanda: Wow, Marni, you’re kind of down in the dumps right now. I love painting.
Marni: You do?
Amanda: Yeah, do you know that I fired my counselor because I just picked up painting? It’s so therapeutic!
Marni: I just wish I was more artistic. I mean, I have no vision. I look at a blank canvas, and it just is a blank canvas to me.
Amanda: I don’t think it’s really about skill set. I think it’s about the flow and the energy, and everything kind of comes together.
Marni: Wow, I wish I had your vision. Man, I just feel stuck.
Amanda: So you don’t get excited when you see a palette in front of you? All colors of the rainbow.
Marni: No, it just feels overwhelming. It’s like, which colors do I choose? What is speaking to me? How am I going to make this come together on the canvas? And the canvas just feels like it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.
Amanda: I just think it’s kind of a party for my eyes.
Marni: Wow.
Amanda: And my hands.
Marni: You know, I just think you probably have a lot more talent than I do, and it’s OK. We all have our talents, and clearly, painting is not one of mine.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Marni meets Amanda after a painting class. She’s clearly upset by her experience with art. Marni doesn’t think she has any talent for painting, so spending time in front of a blank canvas just makes her unhappy.
Amanda, on the other hand, loves painting. Filling her canvas with different colors is a really relaxing experience for her. She says she loves seeing how the finished piece comes together. She doesn’t follow any rules for painting, she just lets her ideas come naturally.
Marni doesn’t agree with Amanda. She still thinks it’s too much trouble to pick out colors or decide what to paint. Marni says Amanda has more talent than she does, but that’s OK with her. Not everybody can paint a masterpiece.
Do you like painting? Do you think painting is relaxing or stressful? Should Marni keep trying to paint?
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