June 1, 2019
As you know, April was perhaps the hardest month of my life. The passing of Wanda was so unexpected and all that goes with making the arrangements for services, etc is draining. Thank the Lord that I have Steven here to help guide me and to give me extra support. I also thank my “kids” for all they have done. Not just now, but all the time.
But, as the title says, “the beat goes on”. Life continues whether you want to participate or not. I am choosing the former and have done my best not to miss any of my planned activities. Of course, teaching classes is one of the primary things and I am proud to tell you that I did not miss one scheduled class or demonstration painting. May was an exciting month. I think I had mentioned that I now have an association with Airbnb. I am an activity provider which means that people coming to visit this area can schedule classes on line. I was a bit skeptical about whether or not I would receive any work from this but am happy to report that I was wrong. Those sessions are about 2 hours in length and I teach a pretty basic youth type scene but so far, all of those clients have been very happy. For those of you who schedule direct with me, nothing changes except there is more demand and it is important that you schedule your days to paint as soon as you can. When you book a day to paint, I show on the Airbnb calendar that no classes are available to them that day.
I expect my youth classes to pick up dramatically not that school is over. Again, I recommend that you pick the days for the entire summer that you want your kids to paint.
Let’s review what happened in the Studio this past month:
May 9th Hanna Harr did her first Seascape. This girl has no fear and is really blossoming as a young artist:
May 10th – Jayden Henkelman. Jayden takes a couple of classes each month and I think paints at home nearly every day. He is really growing as an artist.
May 13th Karen Hanson and I created a new seascape. She has a photo that she wanted to work from and we used that as a basis. This will be a painting I put into the adult portfolio. Karen is so much fun to work with and I loved painting this way.
May 17th Janet Milligan brought Marshall Kloer to class and we worked together on some techniques that we hope help with some motor function difficulties he faces every day. These are the result of a brain injury caused in an auto crash. I was so impressed with Marshall. What a great attitude and he did really well. Janet, you know, is a talented artist so I expect her pieces to be excellent. Have a look at what each of them did this day.
On the 18th of May, Ayda Bowman came for her monthly session. Not counting the week long workshop she took last summer, this was her 14th studio session. I have asked her to help me this year at Art in the Park, so you can come and watch her do some demo paintings there.
Brandon Fernandez arrived for his first painting class on the 19th. He uses a gift certificate that was given him at Christmas time. I do hope that he returns for additional instruction as he demonstrated excellent skills.
I did a free painting day with Jayden Henkelman on the afternoon of the 19th. No, he did not paint free, but he picked a place to paint and together we created the composition. It was fun and he did really well.
May 21….Addison and Dillon Heider (siblings) sat together at their easels as we worked on this landscape. What great kids. Super manners, obvious love for one another and the end results was pretty great too.
Clair Hardesty returned on the 27th for her second May lesson. She is scheduling a couple of classes a month during the summer. Watch for her to make some huge strides.
I mentioned Airbnb earlier. This is a mother/daughter team (Shawne & Daisy Dance) that found us there and came from Blackfoot to paint. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun we had. They are both so enthusiastic and Bob Ross fans. I look forward to seeing them again one day soon.
I had two classes on the 30th. Luke Carlson and his grandmother Barbara Crider painted at 10 am on the 30th and the Dance’s came in at 3 pm…. I was a tired boy at the end of this day. Luke and Barbara did really well. Barbara is too tough on herself and hates to have her picture taken. Luke loves this technique and I hope he can swing a way to continue lessons.
My last class in may was yesterday. It too was an Airbnb session with a father/daughter team coming all the way from Texas. Greg and Katy Giurin has a special time, I think. They both did so well. We boxed their paintings up for travel, but not before getting pictures…. Check it out!
Upcoming Events
On June 28th we will be holding a “Celebration of Life” for Wanda. It is going to be an informal affair beginning at 2 pm at the Serenity Funeral Chapel. We are planning a pot luck affair with a slide show showing random photo’s of Wanda taken at various times of her life. Some she will be good with my picking, and I may hear about a few of the others. There will be time for anyone who is so inclined to say a few words but mostly we are going to just share time with one another. You are all invited.. If you would like to see Wanda’s obituary it is at: https://www.serenityfuneralchapel.com/notices/Wanda-Alsup
If anyone is planning on sending flowers, we would much prefer that you make a donation in her name to the Magic Valley Arts Council at 195 River Vista Place, in Twin Falls. The $ can then go to a worthy art project in her name. Thank you.
I hope to see many of you there…
The annual Art in the Park is scheduled for July 25th 26th and 27th. I will have my little display unit up and will be doing demonstration paintings. I will also have a second easel there for anyone who wants to try their hand at this technique. I hope many of you will come and paint for a bit… I am going to have some small canvas available and will help you complete a nice painting that you can take home. Please come and enjoy all of the talented artisans.
Student of the Month for May
Clair Hardesty is my choice for this recognition. Clair is demonstrating a real desire to improve and her sessions reflect that. I predict good things in the future from this young lady. Congratulations Clair!
Remember, my calendar can fill up in a hurry. If you want to paint this summer, get your days reserved.
Happy Painting
Pat Alsup CRI®