A Year of Light Taster Sessions - 21-32

I was determined to finish all of the Taster Sessions from A Year of Light with Willowing Arts by the end of the year.

Whew!

I made it!

I know I repeat myself, but I have to say again how much I've enjoyed and learned from all these teachers from around the world.  Each lesson challenges me with some medium or technique or subject that is far from "normal" for me.

It feels good to simply be creative. Sometimes I'm amazed that I'm able to produce something I'm quite pleased with. Other times... well... I complete the lesson.

Big Apples

Just a few apples... simple...

I find that there's an elegance in simplicity that I love.

We've eaten a lot of apples lately. Why? Well, I wanted to do an apple painting... so I needed an apple reference photo... so I needed some apples... so I went to the store ... but I wasn't sure which kind would look best... so I bought some of each... so we have lots of apples at our house... so... we've eaten a lot of apples lately.

This painting might not be what you'd expect.

Take another look. 

It's a big one!

Let me explain where I got the idea for this painting. 

Not long ago I discovered a blog that I really enjoyed. It's called Mafamilias Writes.   I liked the style of the person writing it so much that I decided to go back to the beginning of it and read it through. It's kind of a magical time-traveling experience to do that.  I'm reading something written in the present, but when I'm reading it, it's in the past. (Let that sink in a minute... Hmmm... It's a little bizarre to be reading the excitement about a new grandbaby being born and realizing that baby is probably driving a car now!)  Strange, but I love it.

Anyway....

I came to a post with a picture of the writer, a knitter, modeling one of her scarves... wait, or maybe it was a sweater... Anyway, I saw part of a painting in the background that showed some great big apples.  I couldn't stop thinking about that part of a painting.  Maybe I needed a painting of some great big apples on my wall!

Now, that's what I have!

The best part of this painting is that I did it with a palette knife.  I can hardly wait until it's dry so that I can run my fingertips across the texture of the smeared paint on the canvas. Mmmm.... 

Original Oil Painting on 18"x 18" Wrapped Canvas

I'm sure I'll list it for sale on my Etsy site one day, but I think I need to enjoy this one on my own wall for a while first.

Christmas Tree Surprise

This was my example for the class of seniors I taught.

Just look at how beautiful all of theirs turned out!

Such a lovely bunch of ladies!!!

I find that students in their 70s and 80s just aren't that different from the 9 and10 year old kids I taught for a few decades. Both are kind of nervous with something new. They both want the teacher's approval and praise. They need to see an example.  And, they both just want the teacher to stop talking so that they can dive in to the project!

What fun!

Original Acrylic Painting on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas
Click Christmas Tree Surprise if you'd like to purchase it for yourself. Only mine is for sale.  Sorry, theirs are all just too priceless!

I Like... (12/24)

 Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like City Park in New Orleans. 
I think it's the prettiest park I've ever walked through.

I also like the tree across from my mailbox.
Yes, I know I've taken and posted photos of it before.
But, it's fabulous too.

I like a warm fire on a cold day.

I also like hot soup on a cold day.

I like that our ornaments don't match and
that our little ones keep adding more and more strings of beads.

LeeAnne's  get-to-know-you writing topics this month:

What dish would you take to a family dinner this month? Most likely deviled eggs.  I've got the chickens, so I've got the eggs. And, there are never any left when I take them, so deviled eggs is my go-to pot luck dish.

Hot chocolate or hot toddy? I'll go with hot chocolate. Honestly, I'm not even sure what a hot toddy is.

Are you the first person at a party or the last to leave? I don't want to be first, but I do try to be right on time. Then we're probably closer to the first to leave. Mornings start early at our house, so we're not much for late nights.

Real Christmas Tree or Artificial Christmas Tree? Artificial and pre-lit, thank you very much!

If you could eat only one type of cookie this holiday season, which cookie would you be eating a lot of? 

What would be the ideal way for you to spend Christmas Eve?  There would be a fire in the fireplace. I'd be preparing for tomorrow's meal. We'd have a relaxing day then go to Christmas Eve services in the evening.

How was Christmas done in your childhood home/family? The first ones up  banged pots and pans to wake up the rest of the family. First we emptied our stockings. They would have and orange, some nuts, and candy. Next we'd settle down and listen to my dad read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 in the Bible. Next we'd pass our and open our gifts.

Did you ever receive a gift as a child/teen that you really wanted and were totally excited to receive? The best gift I remember was when I was in 8th grade.  I got a brand new Stradivarius Bach trumpet. It was unexpected because I knew it was far beyond the normal budget for gifts in my family.  I loved it played it about every day for the next 5 years.

Caw! Caw!

I've been playing with the palette knife again. 

I finished the first one then just wasn't quite finished with this guy and painted him again.

I can't decide which one I like more.

I love the attitude of the first guy. I love that the second one and his background interact.

I was watching a crow outside my studio window yesterday. Is it an age thing? I never used to pay a bit of attention to birds. Before I know it, I'll probably have a field guide and binoculars! Surely not!

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Crow." So... no tricks here, just a simple crow... or two.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 8" Wrapped Canvas

Original Palette Knife Oil Painting on 8"x 8" Canvas Board

Click HERE if you'd like to purchase the first one.

Click HERE if you'd like to purchase the second one.