A Teacher!

I took a chance and went to a class at the Loft in downtown Seneca.  The Loft is a bunch of rooms that artists rent to keep their stuff in, and show their work.  A new painter to this area is willing to do a oil painting class.  I started this Thursday.  I took an old photo of a sail boat on a lake that I had done similar before.  I really don't understand trees in the distance and how to paint water or sky for that matter.  So I showed up with my canvas prepped by using orange in the middle ( opposite of green) and yellow ( opposite of blue) on the top and bottom.  She has walked me through basic's and blocking and it really looks good.  She uses a very limited pallet and showed me how to get certain colors.  And everything flows and doesn't clash.  Now, if I can just remember how to do this. Practice time.!!!!   I have to get a detail brush.  They are small with very long bristles, and just a few, not really thick with bristles.  Her mom and sister are painters, and her mom used to buy every book she could on how to paint this or that.  She loves doing animals and is very good at that, but she can paint flowers and vases and landscapes and faces, from what I see up stairs.  She said she has tried every medium and likes oil the best.  She is soooo patient.  And I was so lucky that I was the only student that showed up.!!  Here is my started painting.  I am not to touch it until next week when we try and finish it.  Right now all it has is the blocking.  ( and there isn't any red in my pallet.right now.!!)

We are going out with our neighbors to a new restaurant on the lake, called the Light House.  Because we are going in the evening we will drive instead of take the boat over in the dark.  The lake is low and the sky is cloudy so it will get dark early and navigating all the shallow spots won't work for us, even though the boat can go as low as 4 feet.  Here is my start on the painting.
She is asking me how I like to paint.  I told her I use a lot of paint, but other than that I don't have a style of painting I like yet.  She is a very tight painter, and although I like that, it is hard to do I think.  So, we will see how this turns out.  Right next door is a cup cake store.  I told them, I will come in and get two cup cakes every Thursday.  I have a vanilla one and coconut one for today.  We had a strawberry and peanut butter one the last time we visited that place.