Last week I took a painting class from a truly gifted artist and friend - Michelle. She generously opened her home to those of us who wanted to improve the talents we had or, in my case, hoped to pick up some kind of talent through osmosis...I was way out of my league but it was very fun. Michelle lives on a hill that overlooks one of the most beautiful lakes in our area, Lake Sammamish...I don't know how anyone who has such a beautiful view ever gets anything done! It was like being on vacation to be in her home...here, have a look for yourself - this is her view off her deck:
We couldn't have had a more perfect day either - a rare treat - blue, blue skies...I could hardly keep my attentions focused on the tasks at hand! Michelle was getting us organized when I heard a helicopter, I grabbed my camera and ducked out on the deck to snap a picture - like I'd never seen one before!! Sometimes even I am amazed at what a freak of nature I am!
That's it - that little speck is a helicopter - I'm pretty certain the pilot waved to me. Really, what I wanted to capture was the blue of the sky - it was just a picture-perfect day (today it's drizzly and gray, as usual.) Now then, back inside, we were given this picture and we were instructed on values and lights and darks and then we were told to sketch it with just a pencil....
Go ahead and get your snickering in...it only gets worse. As you can see, Michelle is quite a talented artist - she painted these tulips - aren't they amazing? Before I show you my finished product, let me show you some of her finished products...they are so beautiful...
These are just a few of the paintings Michelle has in her home - the one above is done in acrylics and these two are both watercolors - I just love them!
There were 4 of us "students"...all of us have painted before - oh wait, Susan said she has not...said she's not even able to draw a straight line! I think you can see, that Susan was obviously a ringer, brought in to intimidate!! 
Michelle gave us some white and blue paints - and a funky brush -that's all we were allowed to use, to help us differentiate between lights and darks and to get us thinking more about values...so, without further fan-fare, I will now unveil my blue tulips..
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I certainly can't blame Michelle for this disaster - she is not only a gifted artist but a gifted teacher as well...I was reminded of something that happened in 3rd grade...I drew a boat with a man fishing from it - his line and hook went into the sea and below was a fish...then when I colored the water a nice blue, the fish disappeared, except for the pencil marks that outlined where he had been...my teacher walked by and commented on how clever it was of me to leave those lines in...I can still remember thinking, "yes, it was clever of me..." like I had meant to do it! Mrs. Peterson always put a positive spin on things - She was the first person who told me I was an artist...and the last.
Michelle made a point of saying that whatever we did would be "art." What she so graciously didn't say was that their are two types of art....good art and bad...thanks Michelle, I had a great time!
