May with "First Friday" & Class Demos

This time of year just seems to start vibrating with life. So many opportunities appear and it's difficult to make choices that best serve your dreams and still maintain some sense of sanity and peace of mind in the process.

Several month's ago I committed to being the "Boulevard Cafe's May Artist of the Month". So now that I'm all installed, I was prepared to go sit at the "Ashland's First Friday Artwalk". Unfortunately, the cafe is just two blocks off the center of the town and as yet, many people haven't discovered this lovely, cozy and friendly spot which is now part of First Friday. I arrived just before 5pm and brought my trusty journal. My vantage spot gave me a vista into the cafe overlooking a window panorama. I got the angles and chair in and debated what to include when this cute lil girl, dressed in pink took a seat at the cafe computer. That was the focal spot I'd been missing. I sketched in the closer window, computer and chair ~ ~ then of course, she left with her mom. Booo. But thank goodness for my trusty digital, I'd gotten a shot of my lil "star" and completed her at home. That was the main success at the Cafe ... there never was one visitor coming in specifically for the Art walk.

The next entry on this Journal page evolved from what was to be my "Intermediate Journaling and Watercolor Sketching" Class. But just not enough students signed up so, one dedicated creative student still wanted to persue the class agenda in private. So our first session we reviewed her portfolio of watercolors and then reveled as we traveled thru her imaginative journals. Next we did a brief overview of pigments and an exercise to show opacity of the pigments that she was not familiar with. I've also had several students curious about how to paint night skies ~ so I whipped up a quick demo of two night skies, one with sparkling stars and one with fireworks. Both she and I were surprised how well they turned out!! Then she proceeded to replicate the demos. We had so much fun towards the end, even invented a tiny campfire in one of her night scenes! But she made me stop when I suggested putting lil people around the campfire :) Who ever said I really get into things?!?

So life patters along on its merry way and I'm just smilin' ~ ~ glad to be part of it and hoping to bring sunshine to the lovely spirits I touch along the pathway. Happy Trails ...