In the fall of 2008, I enrolled in a Still Life course. Taught by Daphne Cote at the Library in Spruce Grove and again, through the Allied Arts Council, my artistic growth continued. Progressing by leaps and bounds (at least that's what I like to think), I learned a great deal during those 10 or so evening sessions. And it was indeed challenging, to say the least, to learn to "see" in yet another new way.

One of the "sidebar" events which I shall never forget was Daphne's instruction for us not to use turpentine and not to even think of bringing it into class. And to make certain we disposed of our paint rags in a safe manner. She was adamant! This rooster came home to rest very soon afterwards when the local Fire Department was called to put out a blaze in the Art Room. Cause? Spontaneous Combustion from turpentine rags disposed of in the garbage can. Someone had blatantly chosen to ignore Daphne's caution. Fortunately, the fire was detected and extinguished before any significant damage occurred. LESSON: DON"T USE TURPENTINE.

Thank-you Daphne. Right out of The Book of Awesome.

A 2-day workshop in March 2008 through the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove with Johannes was insturmental in the logical development of my artistic journey. It wasn't long before Johannes figured out that not many of the students were familiar with the concept of VALUES. By the end of the sessions, we got it!!! That's not to say we could execute it, but we got it! It seems that when the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Johannes has since returned to his native Ontario and is now actively involved in online seminars through wetcanvas, many of which are free. Really good stuff. To view 5 short wetcanvas videos, including one made by Johannes, paste the following link into your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98wRP8vrPxA&feature=related

Thank-you Johannes. Right out of The Book of Awesome.

My first real oil painting workshop was taken from Frank in April 2007 through the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. Actually, it was my second foray into the world of oil painting, my first having been at least 30 years earlier from accomplished local artist, Sarah Johnson. Unfortunately it proved such a disaster for me that my hidden talent, such as it is, remained, well, hidden. Until 2006. My fault though, not Sarah's.

Anyhow, at the end of the day, all of Frank's students had completed a rendering of a stand of trees. All of these "works of beauty" were lined up beside each other on a display ledge where Frank gave feedback to each artist. They all looked pretty much the same, having been painted from the same photo and using the same palette, so I can somewhat understand how the mistake was made. But stilll......So I received a phone call the day after the workshop from the Allied Arts Council saying that someone had gone home with the wrong painting and would I check to make certain that the one I had was, in fact, mine. It was. Apparently the mystery was never solved. I thought that was hilarious. I mean, think about it. Not much hope for that aspiring artist. Or maybe s/he was smarter than the rest of us, choosing the best of the lot for her/himself.

Incidently, Frank's method for cleaning brushes is to use water and Sunlight soap. Clean right down to the ferrule!! It works well but it takes forever. A small amount of Walnut oil and Walnut Alkyd mixed half and half was the order of the day recommended for Medium - only the amount that would fall from the end of a toothpick. And always use fresh paint - discard the unused stuff. I have since learned that there are more ways than one to skin a cat........

Thank-you Frank. Right out of The Book of Awesome.

During the winter months of 2006, I did the wisest thing a nascent artist could do before embarking on the artistic painting journey. I took a drawing course. This activity should be mandatory before any newbie adult artist is even allowed to hold a brush in his or her hand.

"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards must be one of the best books out there on the subject of learning how to draw. Proficiently taught by Janice Tanton in a series of weekly 3-hour evening classes over 12 weeks in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, I went from saying "I can't draw anything" to "There isn't anything I can't draw."

Thank-you Janice. Right out of The Book of Awesome.

I recently came across Mridula's photo of Himalayan Blue Poppies and immediately wanted to paint them. I wrote to her and asked permission which she graciously provided. The interesting thing is that I totally dislike flowers that are dyed blue, but those in nature are stunning.