just a little flashback

My one memory of kindergarten: we are all seated at round tables. It is Spring time. Mrs. Broadhead has given us a picture to color, one of those ones with hidden elements and characters. This one has the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. In the center of each table is a chocolate egg. Mrs. Broadhead [...]

midweek weekend

stormclouds over Marion - July 27

I told someone recently that having painting class in the middle of the week is like having a midweek Friday. But I have to amend that somehow since my weekends lately seem so packed with agenda items that they aren’t nearly so stress reducing as is 3 hours of painting on a weeknight. So, I’m [...]

what went right

Relief.

I step out of my condo early yesterday morning into lovely cool morning air. A couple hours later when I leave for work the temperature still reads only 80 degrees. I open the sunroof and both windows. I can only vaguely remember life outside of the air-conditioned bubble but I do remember I liked [...]

painting the sky

stormclouds over marion - july 13

The past two weeks I’ve continued to work exclusively on the sky in my painting. This picture was taken after my July 13 class. I don’t have a photo taken after my class on the 20th, so you’ll have to take my word for it that the sky, or at least the bottom half of [...]

in the studio

musicians playing last weekend

Art class is in a building on the pier. When resting my eyes from the canvas I can look out and see boats bobbing in the water. Tourists wander among the buskers, whose music faintly reaches us inside the studio. I take a moment to remember that my frequent protests [...]

what went right – a weekend home

My parents’ house sits on small rise in their property. The house is a good-sized house – it once would have been considered large but doesn’t compare to today’s McMansions. The property sloping away from the house is big enough that it resembles a park more than a backyard. At one end sits the garden. [...]

mixing paints

beginning public speaking

In our church the speaking, preaching, and teaching work is shared among the members of each congregation. Children are trained from a young age to get up in front of their peers to recite scripture, pray or give talks. In this way it is hoped that as they grow to be adults they will be [...]

taking brush in hand

remember this painting?

My Spring term painting class was cancelled due to lack of students. I was relieved when my Summer class did not meet the same fate. We have a good group of about half returning students and half new. I have taken up the brushes again and I am finally moving forward on [...]

what went right

wwr: Have you ever met someone and just known you would be friends? This is not a common thing for me. I have wonderful and deep friendships, but I’m reserved enough that it takes me a while to open up. One of my dearest friends actually thought I disliked her for the first few months [...]