"Do more of what makes you happy"

I don't know who wrote that but, it totally makes sense.

I have been teaching painting classes for a year and a half.  Because of the work schedule I had I could only teach these classes once a month.  I will be starting after school classes next month.  Totally make me happy to be able to teach children and adults as well to get their inner artist out.

 Today we started by covering the canvas board with a background color.  The vases were done in any shape desired.  We used a limited pallet. Blues, browns,and yellows. We added a table.

 We then painted the brown centers and added the petals.  The brushes were not cleaned between colors so the brown and yellow colors blended nicely. 

They all did such a great job!Tomorrow we paint pairs, and that is my favorite fruit to paint.

"If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you : I am here to live out loud."

Emile Zola

Last year I painted a picture of my three sisters and I

and I want to paint another one of us. But, instead I painted a picture of a family and now it inspired me to paint a painting of my family!

So, now that I finished I can start with my family.

"The only person you should try to be better than....is the person you were yesterday."

This is an old painting, it's titled "pink". The girl with pink hair.  She is one of the first faces I painted since I started painting again.  I can see the difference between then and how I paint now. I still have so far to go.

 I am working on balancing my day between jewelry and painting and cleaning and cooking... and spending time with friends and family.  Oh, and planning lessons and teaching.  I know I will figure it out and I will let you know how that is working out.

It's a beautiful day

This is my story.  

When I was growing up my father with a third grade education and a field worker invested in real estate.

My parents owned 27 rentals. At 16 I was the bookkeeper. I always wanted to follow in my fathers footsteps.  But, God had other plans for me.  I got married to someone who did not share the same dreams and having tenants and fixing rentals was not something he wanted to do with me.  So we bought our starter home with a cottage in the back and twenty-six years later we are still in our starter home.

We live in this cozy three bedroom home with one bathroom and one television.

I am sure my kids will have many stories to share with their children of the tiny quarters they lived in.

We rented the cottage for many years and after we lost our tenants last year, we decided to keep the cottage and turn it into my studio!  

It's a huge project but, I will be able to paint and make jewelry without having to pick-up and put away!

I am so happy my husband is a big supported of my new dreams.

"This world is but a canvas to our imagination"

Henri David Thoreau

Summer Classes Schedule for Canvas Painting

Canvas painting class has been a joy.  At the end of class students have a beautiful painting.

Here is a sample from past classes.

 Sunflower class

In this class students learned about the sunflower and every sunflower was their own creation.

Pumpkin class

In  this class students learned blending techniques and created beautiful pumpkins.

Tree class.  

In this class the students learned different techniques which they can use when creating other paintings.

A work of Art is above all an adventure of the mind.
Eugene Lonesco

Giraffes Painting Class

I have a cute little six year old artist in my class.  

She amazes me.

 So, we put our pictures together and I took a picture.  One was painted by me and one by a six year old!

A New Beginning

I did not mean to be gone so long.

I lost my job in November, And I must tell I went through something I had never experienced before. I stayed in bed and hid from the world.  One Sunday I went to Mass and tried to get out without being noticed but, someone saw me and called out to me. So I stopped said "hello" and she asked If I could possibly  help out at the school with a mosaic project in January.  I said, yes.  I felt a happiness and could not wait to do that. I helped that day and again.  It brought "Life" back into my Life.

So, I started painting.  I have joined the local Art Center and "Lola" is showing there. I also entered two other paintings into a juried Art Show and they both made it in!  I am busy painting. Next month will be a busy month for the Gallery so I'm trying to finish up as much as I can.

I will post later everything I have been working on.