ROBERTA: One of the goals I had for this winter was to try something completely new--like a painting class. (I hate to talk about this following Linda Z's excellent post yesterday, but here goes.) My grandmother (Lucille Burdette) was an amateur oil painter--we have several of her works hanging in our house. In Key West, a guy called Rick Worth has been a fixture on the arts scene for twenty-five years. He is perhaps most well known for painting designs on cars, which are then called "conch cars."So I signed up for Rick Worth's Painting Boot Camp at the Studios of Key West. Tuesday was my first day and I was nervous. I can assure you that I've shown no sign of artistic talent in my life so far.
About 30 of us were given five colors of latex house paint and two brushes and he explained how to lay out the first block of color and fill in from there. We all came out with some semblance of the study he painted. Here's what his looked like on the left. And mine to the right. My husband, anyway, was very impressed. So how about you, Jungle Reds? Are you trying anything new this year?
Last year I took a state-sponsored class on "Living the Dream: How to start a small farm." I came away believing I could really do it, if I could only get hold of some land. Oh! Wait! My husband's family has a small farm just sitting and waiting for someone to take it on--in Indiana!
ReplyDeleteSomebody stop me.
Whoa! You did this in your first class? Mighty impressive....and what a fun class to take. Keep going. My something new for the new year is not to procrastinate....so far, so good. I do look forward to taking some pottery classes at some point this year as well.
ReplyDeleteExcellent job, Roberta. I didn’t know you were a talented painter as well. Throw in a gun and a Key Lime pie and I can see it on the cover of your Key West Food Critic book.
ReplyDeleteHey, the painting is really good--color, composition, execution. Wow! Mine would be (thick) stick figures.
ReplyDeleteMuch envy of your being in the Conch Republic and missing the "weather." Have you gone to the Green Parrot yet? Or is it the Blue Parrot? A great bar off Duvall. Sigh.
My only new thing this year will be to start a historical (an historical?) novel that is not crime fiction.
JudyC
I love your painting, Roberta! Very Gauguin.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ang, yes! What fantastic idea! Cover art. Perfect.
(Something new? HAH. Getting enough sleep.Yeah, I gotta try that.)
Yeah--writing a paranormal. It's going fine--but slow due to a learning curve. If this doesn't fly, I'm back to cozies! Just being in the Keys sounds like heaven. In DC, it's raining and 40 degrees, yuck!
ReplyDeleteRoberta - I love it!!! I'm impressed also.
ReplyDeleteMy something new for the year may be to go back to a class I took once before, a few years ago. I mentioned it here yesterday.
I'm fascinated by collages, and wonder why mine look like kindergarten work, while others can turn out pieces that look like art. I want to take another mixed media collage class and see if I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. (other than the fact that I have zero artistic talent).
I'm impressed, Roberta! The new thing I'm trying this year is becoming the Los Angeles Pet Rescue Examiner--going along with my recent obsession about pet rescue.
ReplyDeleteI’m impressed by your painting skills. What a beautiful and first time oil painting!
ReplyDeleteI guess that means I have to find something new to do this year...something that will get me out in the sun after this long, cold, snowy winter. Maybe I'll add flowers to my herb pot garden this spring. Did I mention Hubby calls me the Parsley Serial Killer? Hey, in nine years, I’ve succeed once in growing it. I do well with basil, chives, and tarragon. I just hope I don't end up being called the Female Flower Killer. I’ll keep you updated.
My verifcation word was: Hotone! Not in NJ!
Frame-worthy, Roberta!
ReplyDeleteI took one deep breath and signed up for online dating this year. Does that count?
Oh my gosh, you guys are amazing! (and thanks for the compliments--I know it's pretty close to paint by numbers:).
ReplyDeleteSheila, the small farm idea sounds fascinating. But not while writing a couple of books a year! How about a nice vegetable garden??
Linda, for a minute I read "poetry"--now that would be something very different!
Yes Judy we've been to the Green Parrot a few times. They have great bands and often do a show at 5:30--perfect for old farts.
Paranormal, historical, and sleep--excellent choices. Kaye, the collage sounds like a lot of fun, too. And Linda, I hope you will tell us what a Pet Rescue Examiner does...
Great job. Good idea to get out of your comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteRoberta, I'm impressed. I can't even stay in the lines with paint-by-number kits. And yours looks great!
ReplyDeleteMy project for this winter is to learn to build my own website (including HMTL programming). Baby steps...
ps, Rochelle, online dating DEFINITELY counts! And Tiger, great idea--then you can tutor the rest of us...
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