Getting ready to play big

Finally -- finally -- I am going to be back with a group of women to learn and create.  I have missed this activity so much.  I signed up to attend Wendy Brightbill's  abstract painting workshop at Jeanne Oliver's studio at the end of October: Playing Big.

I've been a follower of Jeanne Oliver's for some years now, and, because she lives in nearby Castle Rock, have gotten to meet and greet her here and there over the years -- at markets, and once even at her home when she had a girl-get-together for her friends.  We have many mutual friends in the art world, and one of them is Wendy Brightbill.  Wendy holds a special place in my heart because she was Ben's kindergarten teacher all those years ago.  She is also a mom and an artist, and someone whose work I so admire.  I am so excited to have this chance to learn from her, and create with her!

Since it has been so long now since I held a paintbrush in my hand, Rebecca and I got together this weekend to play!  She is a real artist, and she helped me to get familiar with watercolors again!

This is a free hand of colorful flower shapes; I enjoyed every minute of creating it with wild abandon!  After the paint, I added watercolor crayon accents.  

I think the finished product would make a lovely fabric!

For this one, I started with a drawing in watercolor pencil.  It's a stalk of hydrangea blooms.  I added some random flower shapes in purples and then added yellow.

Then I filled in the leaves with different shades of green, and tried to add depth to the flowers with darker purples.

Here's how it ended up after some watercolor crayon accents.  By the time it had dried, it looked to me like a stalk of purple cauliflower.  That's the thing about watercolor -- it dries differently than when you're using it.  My hats off to everyone who is good enough (and patient enough!) to work with watercolors!  It's so much fun -- but takes skill and talent!  (Rebecca is so good at it.)

It feels great to be using my creative brain again!  I've also been longing to write more, and I hope to take the time to for that before the weekend is over.  But, first things first: I need to look for a job.  I've given notice at my current employer and need to find the next one.  I can't tell you how much I long to work somewhere that appreciates all of my strengths.  It's not too much to ask, is it?

Yeah, I know.  These days, it really is.

Thank goodness for sunshine, good friends, a family that loves me, and kitty cats.  Really -- that's all I need to keep moving on to new and better places!