Well, last weekend my daughter Laura and I went away to Devon on a weekend oil painting course to celebrate a) my 50th Birthday and b) her graduating in Art with upper second class honours (hubby and the other graduate were left home to celebrate his achievement in a more 'blokey' kind of way!). Laura now has a BA in Painting and funnily enough, was just as scared as I was!! We went to Brambles Art Retreat near Launceston, where Peter and Janet gave us a lovely weekend and helped me conquer my fear of being completely crap at art!
I realise now that it doesn't really matter if you're crap, so long as you enjoy it - and that you do get better! We worked in the studio the first day on a still life arrangement - including fruit! The second day we ventured outside and worked on a landscape. We didn't have time to finish either piece but that wasn't the object of the exercise - if anyone and everyone could paint a picture in oils in a day then art wouldn't be art now, would it?!
Pictures of the still life scene:
Pictures of the still life scene:
Our (unfinished) take on them!!
I laughed so much that hubby thought Laura's was mine and mine hers!! (can you tell?!).
The landscape scene (N.B. the clouds move fast!!):
Our (very unfinished) take on it!
Anyway, in addition to the painting we met some lovely people on the weekend course and had some lovely conversation over dinners. We walked too, admiring the surroundings and the dramatic views with threatening skies that thankfully depleted whilst we had our landscape session outside. Before I lose the newly gained confidence, I am going to continue to sketch and paint over the summer and enrol on a structured course at Hereford Art College in September. Life is a bit hectic at the moment, so I also need to get myself a bit more organised so I have time to enjoy a course rather than just squeezing it in and being too tired to get the most out if it. Brambles Art Retreat take non painting partners, so I will maybe return with hubby and he can walk or cycle.
