third class

Here is the original print.

My copy.

This week, she had me start filling in the color with a thicker paint. Mixing color is very hard for me. Kind of scary, since color is a major part of my hair career! But, I definitely learned a lot with this lesson. I laughed out loud over her face the first time around. It did improve!

I met a woman Saturday on my outing with Gardenia, Susan E. Myers. Oh, my, she really "got me". She is very in tune with the emotional, spiritual connection with painting. I love her work. LOVE her work. I hope she can take me on as a student. She just "retired" from the junior college I am starting at in January. Drat. Well, I have to trust the right instruction will be there for me.

TT and I had a delightful weekend with our god-children and their mama. I made costumes and we played in the park after church, watched a movie together. . . a wonderful time.

Did you have a nice weekend, too?

Second Class

I am loving my Monday night painting class!

After tracing the entire painting onto the canvas (which was quite a long process itself!), my first assignment was to paint darks and lights.

First, I was instructed to paint a wash over the entire canvas of Yellow Ochre for warmth.

Then used varying intensities of black and water for all the darks. The teacher taught me to squint, looking at the original to see only the "value", or dark and light. Then, I was to duplicate that on mine. Blocking in the major shapes in this manner is called a "layin".

Next, she wants me to begin in the upper left hand corner applying color. Because I am right handed, I won't be smudging my work.

I hope I get some time this week to work on this!

P.S. I have been working on my math skills. My first "test" to see what I am learning I got an 86 on! Not too bad considering I haven't had any math for 34 years!! Hahahaha!

Pensacola Tornado

Thursday, October 18 began as a very rainy, dark morning. I was foiling my first client when my second client called to say there were tornado warnings, but she was still on her way.

By the time she arrived, she said the tornado was downtown, which is only a mile from us. In moments, we saw the inky funnel cloud looming over us out my big window. My first client dove into her bag for her cell phone, Assistant grabbed hers and I began pacing the hallway with mine, "Heavenly Father, protect us in Your mercy, TT, a tornado is on it's way, get Isabella and get in the den, Hail Mary full of grace. . . "

"A., where is Dot?"

"She went to the mall."

Ring her. "Dot, a tornado is coming. DO NOT leave the mall."

"Okay, Mom. Listen, while you are on the phone, I found a great birthday gift for New Mommy. Do you want to go in with me on it?"

"Sure, sure. Just don't leave the mall."

Back to work. Begin a razor cut on second client while first client's foils are heating up in color processor. Cool cut, a Victoria B. bob. The ominous black cloud has receded into the horizon a bit.

Dot calls. "The tornado came by here. Everyone started screaming. Their hair was blowing and insulation was floating in the air and it was really loud. But I am okay now."

Relief. She's okay. Back to cutting. The tornado came very near the mall. The mall. The mall. " SHIT!!!!!!!!" We live four blocks from the mall. "TT and Isabella."

Stop cutting. Try TT's cell phone. No answer. Try home phone. No answer. Hands are now shaking. Must stay on schedule. "A., get ahold of TT. Call Dot. Tell her to check on him. I have to know they are okay."

"OOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!" Major cut on bird finger with brand new razor (I don't use a guard). It is over an inch long, and deep. A. faints at the sight of blood so I shoooooe her out of the room. "You have to get a bandaid on me while I hold my finger together", I tell my client.

Finger bandaged. Back to work. TT calls. He and Isabella and house are safe. Wheeeewwww. Breathing again.

Later, we learn the Office Depot parking lot is a mass of turned upside down vehicles.

Dot had gone there first before going to mall. She was ahead of danger by ten minutes. Her father prays every day for our safety. Keep praying, TT.

first class

First painting class tonight with Valerie Aune . This is not college, but an artist who teaches five students at a time in her home studio. She is fabulous!! I was cross-eyed, trying to mix paint to match house paint swatches, and spots in a magazine picture she had circled!

She starts by having us copy a master's painting. Says that many lessons are in copying. As much as a pianist first learns to play by playing other people's music before he begins composing his own.

So, I selected John Singer Sargent's "Street in Venice", 1882. I thought she kind of resembled me and one day, I want to go to Italy.

I know I started a separate art blog, but it is all meshing together for right now. I will use that to display my finished work, but I guess you all are going to go through the agony of the process with me!

TT said I had shining eyes from the class. I really like her style of teaching. Hope I will be able to continue with her once I start college.

art

Friday night we all went to the Art Museum for the Duane Hanson- Real Life opening reception. The kids love art. Their mama loves art. And TT and I love art!

I worked all last weekend on my sewing room/office to transform it into my office/studio because I have decided to. . . . GO TO COLLEGE!!!!! Yup. I am going tomorrow (God willing, that is) to register for January! Going for my AA in Studio Arts. Who knows, I may not stay that course. I do love to write. I actually have many interests. But will start with Studio Art degree.

I only took one semester of college. My parents did not encourage higher education. Funny, because I think my father went for four years to become an accountant.

Mother got her MRS degree twice. She married her high school sweetheart, but was widowed near the end of WW2. She had my eldest sis by her first. He never got to see his baby girl. Died when she was only four months old. Then, when Eldest was four, Mother married my father.

At any rate, it worked for them for her to stay home, raise us girls, refinish antique furniture, quilt, hook rugs, embroider and knit. That seems like a dream world, huh? She always referred to people who did not possess her "common sense" as "educated nit-wits". And Daddy seemed to slight the "college boys".

Whatever, I did not get it that college would help me. Passed that erroneousness on to my Dot, who really would have loved a higher education. Oi.

I don't know why the bug has bit me at this stage in life, but it really has. I did some online lessons in algebra and I floated the whole next day from solving one equation!!!

I know this, I want our god-children to go to college. I am already instilling that plan in their trusting brains.

Young Eagle

God-son's first flight today. Pilot was incredible. Walked god-son through every step of pre-flight plane check. Pilot is retired and lives on the airfield access. Some people have horses, he has airplanes. They don't take a cent for this. Just want to pass the love of flying on to the next generation.

TT could tell you more about the plane, but suffice it to say, it is new and fabby!

As god-son disappeared, I told his mama, "He'll never be the same." Once a man flies, can't no one tell him he don't have wings!

It'll be years before god-son will understand why TT and I watched him fly off into the clouds with tears streaming down our cheeks.

Harrison Ford is the founder of the Young Eagles. A star making a way for over a million boys and girls to test out the galaxies for themselves.