Ah creatively we go

So, some of you know I'm taking an online course right now through Squam. Love Squam, love the teacher, Sarah Ahearn Bellemare. Love her art, and she is adorable. She may not like to be called adorable, but truly she is. You can just tell she's a great person, and isn't it nice to 'meet' people like that?

The course is interesting and well put together. I was proud of myself for signing up, because the painting I do goes on the walls, or as you know from last week, on the outside of my house. I haven't touched art paint since kindergarten. And even then, I'm not so sure, there was a lot of focus on napping back then and I don't have any proof of having painted anything (thanks mom for throwing out all my kindie artwork, I'm not scarred at all, truly).

This is the beauty of online courses, you can get up the gumption to take a course that you would never take in person. And take a course from someone that doesn't live anywhere near you. Very cool aspect of these times we're living in. I took one online course in 2011, and this already my second in 2012. I have a third lined up for August.

So that pre-amble was all about me avoiding talking about my actual painting. And here I go again. I liked the pastels a lot. And I wouldn't have thunk it. Yes, that's vernacular, I know it's incorrect. I did a board with pastels last night, with little bitty bits of paint on top and I liked it a lot more than the paintings I've done this week.

Some of the amazing ladies in the course are doing awesome work, and it's an absolute thrill to see their stuff. What a joy to 'thumb through' their posted work on Flickr. Inspiring, yes. Sarah is an inspiring and supportive teacher, yes. I've told myself that pursuing perfection is futile and ridiculous, yes. I've told myself that nothing is wrong. And yet, I still feel like a complete loser that is producing complete crap.

Aaaaahhhh well, big sigh, it's still been a good exercise.

Last week we had an assignment to go sketch outside. Smidgie and I went on our bikes to the local lakeside and had a grand time, both of us sketching.

My pastel sketch of the weeds (drought-affected) beside the lake.

I just noticed that since I taught Smidge to use the camera last Sunday, she's since taken about 75 pics around the house!! Egads! :)