I take an art class through the Scottsdale Community Center on Monday nights.  I love it because it’s inexpensive, low-key, and the same really nice group of ladies are in my class from session to session.  It’s a mixed class, meaning some people do acrylic, and some do watercolor or oils.  For some people it is their first time painting, and some have been doing it for years.  I love that.  We started out doing copies of existing paintings, and then moved on to painting from photographs.

Taking this class really demystified the whole process of painting for me.  How to prepare a canvas, how to transfer a drawing to canvas, how to mix colors, what paint to use, all of that really great stuff.  I know for a fact I never would’ve gotten brave enough to paint – especially with oils – had it not been for this class.

There’s just something I really love about using oil paints.  I love the smell.  I love the way my brush feels, moving the paint around.  I love the way the colors blend together.  I love that I don’t have to hurry and worry about them drying.  Of course, the flip side is that it takes forever to finish a painting, because I have to wait and wait for each layer to dry.  But this is where my heart is.

Class starts back up tomorrow, and I need to figure out what I’ll be working on.  I’ve been struggling with this class as I start to move away from photographs and toward wanting to paint things from my own head.

I might take a couple of steps back and do that classic art student copy – a Van Gogh.  I really want to start playing with texture more.  Or, I might start a little Tuscany landscape series, but try to do them in a swirly fun way, rather than a realistic way.

Either way, it means a trip to the art store, which is always always a good time!

This looks to be right up my alley