The school year officially ended a week ago, and I have been keeping quite busy since then. Last Thursday and Friday I participated in a two-day painting workshop at Hampton Historic Site with fellow BCPS art teachers. It was nice to dedicate time towards painting, especially since I hadn’t used (water-based) oil paints in many years. I was definitely a little rusty. The photos below track the progress of the painting. I pushed myself to work with bolder colors and marks on day two.
At the end of each painting day, we held a critique to discuss our work. Some people chose to work in different mediums such as pastel, water-based graphite, watercolor, and acrylic paint. These photos are from Day 1.
!I loved the variations of style, subjects, and viewpoints in each artwork. satisfied with the result. If I had chosen a larger canvas, it would have taken me much longer to do. As an illustrator, I have a tendency to work with details. I had to simplify the details of the tree when working with paint. It was good practice for working beyond my comfort zone. Turns out, I really enjoy working with oil paint! I loved the variations of style, subjects, and viewpoints in each artwork.
My birthday was on Sunday (Father’s Day). To start the day, Allie and I went to a free yoga session at AVAM. It was inspiring to see so many different people coming together to participate. The instructor’s message emphasized the practice as an opportunity for change and newness. What better way to transition into a new season, than with a community yoga practice??
The rest of the day was spent eating/relaxing with family. We did a Father’s Day/Birthday brunch at Great Sage in Columbia. I hadn’t been to that restaurant in a long time, but their menu is still as good (if not better!) as I remember.
Three generations
Andy took me out to dinner later that evening. There was a wait for our table, so we put our name in and had a drink/appetizers at the bar. It seemed like we waited much longer than the quoted wait time, so when we were finally seated, we were given complimentary candied bacon! It was kinda random, but it was an item on their menu.. and I wouldn’t turn down free bacon.
My transition into summer has begun with some of my favorite things: family, food, art, and yoga!