Creative Energy and Learning

It has been an incredibly productive and creative week here in my studio. During the day two students have been coming in to paint with me and we are working on completing our Willem van Aelst study. We are all in the 'July' portion of our instructions so we have officially come halfway and the paintings look amazing.

We had some really great moments this week...Lynn and Lynn both had serious 'aha' moments when they came to the realization that they were painting 'their' painting and not David's or Willem's....sounds silly I know because they are painting a reproduction piece, but as an artist it is an incredibly liberating moment to make the transition from painting "cause it says so" to painting "cause that is what MY painting needs". It means that they are seeing and executing as an artist, they are making reasonable judgements and decisions that are based upon what is happening on their own canvas. I think it was a moment that has building within them for quite sometime and then snuck up on them and took them quite by surprise. I know that this painting has stretched them both and they have both learned so much from the exercise.

My Wednesday night class is exercising some creative freedom as well....lol, bunch of rebels! What I had intended to be a floral study from their own photographs has morphed into something even more wonderful and rewarding. There are 4 of them in class and all 4 of them are painting something different. Some based on published patterns and some based on photos. It really is stimulating as a teacher to be the 'guide' and just facilitate and help along the way instead of standing at the front and having them copy step by step exactly what I do. Everyone is learning so much from the different skills that are necessary in each different painting. I think they might say that it also allows a lot more time for 'social' time in class. LOL

Painters are amazing people. Everyone comes to the studio from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different families and yet they all have something in common....I've watched some really great friendships develop over the years because of classes and it is so wonderful to realize that I am part of such a large family.

Here's a shot of my van Aelst so far....I'm in the middle of July instructions and working on the watch.

Painting Tip!

Hi All!

Had a great day painting the van Aelst today. Yay! I am FINALLY finished April...hmmm, I guess I'm not that far behind...LOL

I took a picture of my really super cool extender dish today. It is a little ceramic square that is the absolute perfect size for my brush when I'm using Extender. It is nice and low so it won't spill and is heavy enough not to get knocked around easily. I just love it. I got it at a Pampered Chef party, I think it was a set of 4. I now have 12 of them in my studio so there is a 'class set'...I do think Blake did sneak one out though for mixing his Wasabi when we have Sushi.

Here is a picture of the completed April lesson of the van Aelst. I can't wait to start adding colour!

It is STILL Snowing!!

Hello from 'The Great White North'! LOL Ok, I am getting seriously worried about the health of the poor Easter Bunny who is supposed to come and visit us this weekend...he is going to freeze his little paws off!

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I took this photo last night before bed, quite a pretty picture of our crabapple tree in the front yard if it was FEBRUARY...lol, it snowed all day today too. Yesterday the kids had a 'snow day' home from school. Wow, I think they only had 1 or 2 days off all winter and then bam, one in April...weird.

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Today was an open van Aelst studio day. Several of us here in Barrie have been working away this year trying to finish our year long Willem van Aelst study provided to us by David Jansen. Lynn is doing a great job! She finished June today. She has officially passed the halfway mark! She mentioned today how much fun it was to paint something so challenging and what a great stretch it has been for her. Today her white chrysanthemums came alive. If you double click the photo it will open up for you in a new screen and is a little bigger.

Now, as you can see, I am not as far along as my dear friend Lynn! LOL, I am plugging away on the April lesson....I am almost satisfied with my grisaille layer, I just need to add some of the background buds and leaves and I'm off to the May lesson!
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Wow, just so much going on in the studio right now. My easel and painting table runneth over! It's getting close to the mailing day for the CDA boards and I'm also working on some lessons for the new education manual. Whew...it's overwhelming sometimes, but it is so much fun when the brush is in my hand. Back to it!