Today was such a nice relaxing day. I woke with the urge to paint a picture, probably the result of watching a painting class on PBS last night. I’ve never painted a picture or taken a class before, but have wanted to for ages. The instructor painted a gorgeous landscape, and he talked about painting the impression of forms rather than exact forms because our minds will do the work of creating lines around objects. He also talked about painting fast so as not to think about what you’re doing, and that’s something I find totally appealing.
So here is my first attempt at painting a picture. The tiny canvas helped to make it less intimidating.
So here is my first attempt at painting a picture. The tiny canvas helped to make it less intimidating.
I only had a few colors in my palette to work with: pink, cream, gold, green, and black. That changed this afternoon when I stopped in at Michael’s and bought a variety of reds and blues and yellows and purples. I want to add blue to the sky, but I’m a little wary of messing with it.
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I went out for lunch this afternoon at Fresh Choice and then visited a couple of second hand shops to look for furniture for my apartment. I bought this little cat tree/bookcase at the Discovery Shop, which benefits the American Cancer Society.
Also picked up a small teapot. I recently started drinking green tea and have been meaning to buy one.
Found this print at Goodwill. It was in a god-awful gold frame, which I threw away. The print is dated 1979.
It’s quite warm here today-- people were running around outside in shorts. I sat out on the patio in my new lounge chair (thanks, Feltypants) and watched the swaying branches. I feel like I live in a little forest under a canopy of trees. This is my view from the lounge chair.
(There are noisy boys up those stairs. They are making me crazy.)
(There are noisy boys up those stairs. They are making me crazy.)
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My friend Martha Alderson, the author of the book Blockbuster Plots: Pure & Simple , conducts plot writing workshops that are out of this world. They are the kind of workshops that get you so excited about writing that you can’t wait to go home and get started. If you’re a writer who could use some guidance or a refresher on plot and writing scenes, I highly recommend her book and her website.
But the real reason I’m mentioning Martha is because yesterday was her birthday, and her mother wrote a beautiful birthday post on her blog. You really must read it, and you might want to have a tissue nearby.
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My friend Martha Alderson, the author of the book Blockbuster Plots: Pure & Simple , conducts plot writing workshops that are out of this world. They are the kind of workshops that get you so excited about writing that you can’t wait to go home and get started. If you’re a writer who could use some guidance or a refresher on plot and writing scenes, I highly recommend her book and her website.
But the real reason I’m mentioning Martha is because yesterday was her birthday, and her mother wrote a beautiful birthday post on her blog. You really must read it, and you might want to have a tissue nearby.
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I'm in the recreation room at my apartment complex writing this, and a boy around thirteen is in here with me, practicing on his acoustic guitar. The music is so beautiful-- he was just playing the Simon and Garfunkel song from the '60's, "The Sounds of Silence" and oh my gosh it was good. I don't know if I can control myself much longer-- I may burst in to song.
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