June 7, 2018
It has been some time since I made my last entry. Much of that owing to my being away from my studio. Wanda and I took some time to visit family in Wyoming. It is always nice to go back to Cody, the town of my youth, and to be able to spend time with my sister made that even better. Wanda also spent time with her sister in Sheridan. As the years race past, it makes us more and more aware that at some indeterminable time, we, or they, will not be here for us to visit. That makes it even more important to do what we can to be with family.
Traveling can be problematic. There are always issues at home that need to be attended to. For me, one was finding someone to take care of my fast growing lawns. I was fortunate and the problem was easily solved by hiring one of my students and trading them a class for a mowing. Good for me, and I hope they feel the same.
Autumn A, is one of three children in her family who have taken classes from me. Autumn has been featured twice and was my student on the month earlier. When she arrived to get payment, I had her pick a painting from many of mine on the shelves. This one focused on a tree house, suspended in a stately old oak. This was Autumn’s third painting class and as you will see, she has some very good skills. Not only is she a good student and easy to teach, she is a nice young lady and fun to have in the studio. Let’s have a look at her painting:
You can see more of her class pictures HERE.
Now, I have something new to announce. In years past I have conducted week long workshops designed to accelerate the learning process. These have always been made available for adults as they were set up so there would be a morning session where they would learn specific techniques and strokes. Then in the afternoon we would paint a painting using those techniques. That required 7 hours each day of class which takes some stamina. I have never done anything similar for my young students. Well, that is about to change.
In just a couple of weeks, young Tyson Bucher will begin a 6 day workshop. We will paint one day for each year he is old. There will be 5 one hour sessions on a practice canvas. we will focus on one or two techniques each session and at the end of a one hour session, he will clean his canvas and his brushes before heading home. Each day he will use the same practice canvas to practice specific strokes and will clean the canvas at the end of each.. Then, on the 6th day we will have a split session, painting an hour or so before taking a lunch break and then he will complete the painting in the afternoon. That painting he will keep and as part of the package, it will be framed and ready for hanging. This will be an excellent learning session for both of us. He will improve his skills and I will find out how well youngsters do with this approach. Stay tuned. Soon you will see young Tyson in action:
Remember, good brush care is essential. Brushes are expensive and if you care for them properly, they will last you a very long time…. Treat them properly and you can replace them after just one session….
Pat Alsup CRI®