Letting Go

I recently took a drawing/painting workshop from William Park in which we focused on painting one subject on 2 canvases for 5 days straight.  I found a cluster of pods out the door which became my subject for the week.  The workshop was hugely inspiring to me because Bill instructs you to let go and keep experimenting.  He says you have to be able to let go of anything on the canvas, including the parts you like, to be able to paint without fear and develop the painting more.  And by working on the same two canvases for 5 days, we were forced into making many changes and really rethinking the painting along the way.  It was a liberating approach for me.

Painting #1:

And a close-up:

Painting #2:

And a close-up:

Join the Fun with Mary Ann's Stencilry Class

Want a great online class to get your creative juices flowing? Mary Ann's Pure Experimentation Stencilry class is just for you. Registration is open until 04/24 and it only cost $40. The first lesson had handouts and seven videos. Below is the portfolio that I created for this week's lesson. I spray painted lace and doilies to get a many layered and shadow effect on 24x12" foam core panels. Working big is a challenge for me.
This shows the inside of the portfolio.

Mary Ann lists supply resources, many photos of her stenciled journal pages, participant blogs and photos of the work everyone is creating. It's really cool to see how each artist interprets the challenge presented. This is the best online class that I've taken. Check it out.

Book Review

Shopping at Jo Ann’s with my 40% off coupon I came upon a very nice felting book. Wool Felting Workshop , by Vivian Peritts (ISBN-978-1-4027-4432-7).
She uses only recycled wool and makes lovely projects. There’s a throw embellished with a three-dimensional floral border made from recycled wool as well as tassels, pot holders, a very nice table runner, children’s toys, cool pillows and on and on (a whole book of it). She does a nice job with her instructions and has a lot of basic techniques that are very helpful. I think it was well worth my money, the books price is $14.95 with 40% off coupon (5.98) I paid $8.97, good deal.