Inspiration

This is one of the pix from the workshop. The workshop did much more for me than inspire paintings... It got me energized. I have a million ideas for more art, and I have cleaned like a whirling dervish today to get my space more organized. Huzzah. (Some of my friends actually have some figurines of whirling dervishes!)

Izzy asked me how I got started painting. As a girl I always fooled around with sketching, but never ever took any art courses in school. I don't even know if they were offered.. Certainly not in my small town school where we had 14 members in our class. Later in the big city school where there were 400 in my class, maybe. I just never paid attention to them if they were offered. However, I find little sketches in diaries, etc.

Soon after we were married, George gave me an oil painting set, so I must have exhibited some interest. I got extremely frustrated at trying to paint water. It always looked like varnish. But I did a few things. Barns and ash cans and still lifes. When we were packing to go to Brazil, most of those early attempts were thrown in the trash fire by my brother-in-law. He suffered from manic depression and was in bad shape, so I don't think it was a malicious burning. I would love to have some of those now to evaluate my progress!

When we returned to the states 30 years ago, I occasionally took a public education offering in the arts. Sketching and painting. Then, when I taught Spanish, my classroom was next to the art room. Spanish was only part-time teaching, so when I wasn't teaching I would "rubber neck" on what they were doing in the art room. I did a bit of ceramics. And then I had the brilliant idea that I was soon going to retire so I better find something to do that would fascinate me. At 65 I started to take lessons from Steve Henning, a local artist. Every Monday afternoon, three of us women would collect in his studio and give him a hard time. We had great fun, and by the time I retired at 67, I was hooked on art.

I have taken myriad workshops and tried almost every medium. I have collected a wonderful assortment of tools of the trade. Whatever occurs to me to try, I can try it.

So for a while I did not take workshops as I felt I should use what I know and get going with it. But the workshops get the juices flowing and the energy building. And they're lots of fun and fellowship as well.

So that's my story, Izzy. Anyone who wants to get started, I can certainly start them. I can give a few informal lessons to you when you get back. For now, start some sketching. Just a few lines on a small pad of unlined paper. Keep trying to sketch a chair, a hand, etc., you can just keep on, good or not. There is a great book called Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain. I think that's the name. That will get you started in an informal way. It would seem you have plenty on your plate, now, but that's a way you can start if you want to.

Have a wonderful June.