Watercolor classes: joys and jitters

Until this past winter, it had been a long time since I'd attempted any serious painting. I signed up for 8 weeks of watercolors on a whim and the morning of the first class had me wondering what the heck I had done to myself! I was a wreck until almost the end of the first three hour class. All the pressure came from within. And why? It certainly wasn't the fault of my instructor (Marilynn Thomas) or the other students. Once I convinced myself I was there to learn and didn't need to produce a masterpiece that day (ha!), I relaxed and started having fun.

I am learning so much more than how to suggest a shape or what colors are in the shadows. The lessons mimic bigger life lessons. If the project looks impossible (the native American woman), remember that it breaks down into areas and you need only concentrate on one area at a time. If you just can't do any more, it is ok to put it away for today, for this week or maybe even chalk it up as a learning experience and start fresh on another day. Fourteen people can look at the same subject, use the same paint colors and turn out 14 different paintings. We all tend to be our own worst critics and the biggest supporters of everyone else.

This is my first painting that I truly liked.






















A sweet little boy eating squeezable yogurt. Artistic license allowed me to leave the plaid out of his shirt.
















This lady was a lesson in class that I didn't think would be possible to complete. Not only is she done, she is matted, framed and I like her!






















The sky and water aren't the same as the small photo, but no one else needs to know that.






















This isn't good, but I'm learning as I practice.

















And just like most of us look better after we've combed our hair, smoothed out our clothes and maybe added some makeup, almost any painting looks better after it has been matted.