This blog comes to you a few days early as things have been a bit jammed up this past week. Where to begin?
I think it will be with classes, after all, teaching is really the reason for this publication
APRIL CLASSES
Class wise, April was a bit slower. When spring school break ended, the youth lessons were harder to get scheduled. I have lots of time and teach any day of the week or weekend. But I limit the number of sessions I schedule each day and youth students prefer weekends. Occasionally, I like a weekend away as well so they fill up fast.
April 8th, Hadlee Zurcher returned to the classroom and she is proving to be an excellent student. We are in the process of setting up a regular monthly schedule as she has plans to become better than the teacher.
On the 14th of April, Jayden Henkelman returned for his continuing sessions. Jayden is another of my young group that schedule classes a months or two in advance, in order to get the days and times that work best for him. He is making excellent progress and I am looking forward to seeing how he did in the Art and Soul competition.
April 18th.. Returning for her third class, Hanna Harr is proving to be a very capable artist and her desire to improve matches many of those who are now experiencing the Joy of Painting.
And on the 19th, and back for what I think was her 13th class, Ayda Bowman continues to shine. In addition to these regular sessions, Ayda also completed a 5 day workshop which really had a positive impact on her painting skills. She also has her next class time reserved.
On April 20th I had to cancel a class with a new student, Brayden Fernandez, as that morning I had to rush Wanda to the hospital and did not have time to call. So I left a note on the door explaining the situation and they have been very understanding. I look forward to meeting Brayden very soon.
There are two more sessions scheduled for this month, Jayden Henkelman will be back on the 28th and Clair Hardesty on the 29th. I will show you their results with the next monthly blog posting.
Coming Up
It appears that May will be another busy month and those days are starting fill up. I will not be available for classes between April 30th and April 7th as I will be going to see my sister in Wyoming.
The last day for voting on the Art and Soul entries is April 27th. I have cast my ballots and be assured that I voted for each of my students. I am so proud of all of them… I think that the winners will be announced on May 5th so I will not be here for that ceremony.
April Student of the Month
Hadlee Zuercher is my pick for Student of the Month. She showed such good potential when taking her first class, but seemed a little reserved. That was not in evidence on April 8th when she took brushes in hand. What a transformation. She, like all of my picks, demonstrated the ability to listen and watch carefully as I demonstrated techniques. She remembered what was taught in lesson # 1 so her second session was a snap. Congratulations Hadlee!
AND NOW THE HARD PART
I mentioned that on April 20th, we had to rush Wanda to the hospital. She was in such pain and the staff in the ER took excellent care of her, doing their best to make her more comfortable before sending her to Intensive Care. The first thought was that she had a bowel obstruction and within two hours of being admitted, had her on her way to emergency surgery. It turned out that something had blocked the blood flow to the large intestine and they had to remove about two thirds of it. She came back to the ICU but her body just could not deal with all of the trauma. Sadly at 5:10 am on Easter Morning, she went to be with our Lord.
I am coping OK at the moment and hopefully my two boys will stay strong, but this woman who shared my life for 56 years will be missed so much. If you are interested, you can see her obituary at https://www.serenityfuneralchapel.com/notices/Wanda-Alsup
So many of you have come forward with cards offers to help and questions about sending flowers… Thank you for that. Instead of flowers, if you are so inclined we would prefer that you make a donation to the Magic Valley Arts Council in her name. You will see the information on the obituary.
As difficult at this time is, I understand that death comes to us all in time and is a part of life that we all will face. My resolve is to continue to be active and teach. I look forward to seeing many of you in class one day soon.
I am posting a few of Wanda’s paintings including the one most recently completed. She loved to paint and flowers were her passion.
More next time:
Pat Alsup CRI®