Paint on Paper....

..At Last!

It has been a very long time since I actually put paint on paper...I have always wanted to be able to paint water-colours. On occasion, I attend a workshop, take a night course for adult learners and even take water-colour vacations, but then do nothing in between! What's with that? And then I wonder why my painting skills never seem to get better? If anything, they get worse! Hmmm..

Well, there I was again today, at yet another workshop given by Hi-Sooke, one of my two highly-favoured  instructors..She is a dynamo and whips up an amazing impressionistic landscape painting in minutes before our very eyes ...and then challenges us to do the same..to work quickly - and produce two finished paintings in an afternoon?  No problem?  NOT! 

We are given only minutes to do the sketch..ten more minutes to put in the background.. and then? Already? The edge of the stream, the water, the reflections, and of course the tree!  Done? Now, get those shadows in..and Voila!  Finis! Tape your masterpieces up on the wall for everyone to see!  Whew! At least I got a blip out of THAT step! (mine is bottom left)

Alas... we are not done yet...We are given a different photo and told to do  it all over again! And the clock is ticking...Well, my half-finished, mistake-ridden masterpiece had to come home with me and she expects me to finish it before I return in two weeks..yikes..

Today was a reminder that I really need to put some effort into this painting thing..It was like starting over again...I was making simple mistakes and by this time, I should really know better... 

Hi-Sooke's reminder at the end of the session that we just need to practise.. that we can paint - anyone can - but it takes practise...and that we will not see any improvement until we practise, hit home today. Hardly a profound statement, right? But one I tend to forget!  The problem is, she insists that we need to paint every day! Every day? Along with all those other things we do every day? Wow..that's a toughie. But she is right.

I have two weeks before I see her again in the next workshop, so I am quite motivated to put some more paint on paper in the interim! We shall see how that works out.....