Back around the year 2000 I was trying to teach myself how to paint portraits.  I had done a lot of pencil sketches and a painting or two but they were awful.  I attended a water color class and met a teacher who took me under her wing and made me believe I could be a true artist.  She actually did her best to make me believe in my latent abilities. So now, there are a lot of people who want me to teach them what I have learned.  Finally in January of this past year, I gave in to the pressure and did my first six session painting class. It was fun and I was surprised at how excited my students were as they learned my unusual process.  I am now teaching my fourth six week session.  I just had to make a notation here on this blog about how amazing it feels to start out teaching a person who says they want to learn how to paint, and end up feeling flabbergasted because that person is an artistic genius!!! All my students have had success learning this process and they have been very happy with the results.  They have told me how joyful they feel to be able to apply these methods and to be here learning together.  That is such a rewarding accomplishment.  The thing that amazes me is to meet a student who seemed to not recognize her own potential, then proceed to teach her how to use my ideas, and watch her bloom almost overnight into the most amazing artist, far better than my self.  Now, I get to pass along what was given to me, the ability to believe in herself. I just find it awesome to be blessed in this way.  Later, when she is ready, I will post some of her work here for you to see.  Till then, take encouragement from this.  Our abilities may not be exactly alike but each of us have potential.  Art can make people happy.  I never realized how encouraging others and teaching art could make me so happy too.

Our portrait sessions have been exciting, fun and rewarding. I have decided to fit in another six sessions beginning the last weekend of October; Sunday and Monday afternoons for three weeks. There is room for one or two more students.  Scroll down through the previous blogs to read information about our classes. Hopefully you will want to join us. Go to the contact page to reach me.

October 17, 2016 It is an eighty degree fall day, the first full day of Succoth. I have been looking through photos I took last year at this time and last week to plan a landscape. On Saturday I headed out on my own, as I said I should not do. It is hard to find the right places to get the kind of photos I want for the landscapes. When I see a pretty spot, it is often on private property. If not, then it is almost always nearly inaccessible. That is what occurred on Saturday. I was wandering along this country road headed from 711 toward Rachelwood. I could see a slow moving shallow stream that twisted and turned among the trees in a lowland. The road I was on was twelve to fifteen feet above the creek. Ahead there appeared a nice sized safe looking parking spot on the oncoming side of the road. I pulled in.   Then I got out of my car and looked around for a gentle slope where I might safely get down to the level of the stream. There simply was none. I had my phone in a plastic bag in my sweatshirt pocket, my camera around my neck and my walking stick to help me steady myself. After three hesitant and unsteady footholds forward, down I went sliding and rolling to the bottom. I think it was at least ten feet or more. When I came to a stop, I was shaking hard. I had difficulty getting myself upright and when I managed it I checked myself over. Nothing seemed broken but everything hurt. After assessing the place I’d come down I knew I would not be able to get back up that way. I had no choice but to wander around until I could find a gentler slope out. Since I was there anyway, I decided I may as well walk beside the stream and take advantage of the strong sunlight and colorful foliage for some shots. I spent about an hour and a half there, all alone, half expecting a bear or mountain lion or big foot to jump out at me. The clouds had sifted across my sunny blue day and the light was almost gone. It was around four o’clock and I had time to get home before dark but more photos were out of the question. I headed toward the bank in order to work my way up to the road. Surprisingly, I was able to hairpin my way up without too much trouble. I thanked God for the beautiful time spent in solitude with His creation and now I hope I will be able to put my experience, or at least what I saw, on canvas for others to enjoy. I think I will post this journal page on my blog so my followers (that is a strangely inappropriate term) can laugh at my adventure.