"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Not dead yet, and there will be lots more color in my watercolors

Tom Lynch and I with one of his dynamic watercolors
This will be the only post this month and it's not writers' block--I've shied away from the keyboard, given circumstances, and just not wanting to spend time here.
It's all part of my Do It Yourself Art School. 
It began with five great days in New Braunfels, just north of San Antonio, studying watercolor with the internationally known Tom Lynch. http://www.tomlynch.com/
I've got 47 pages  of notes and many exercises from someone who really knows how to teach. Hosted by the classy New Braunfels Art League, which owns a building and gallery in this Germany town, it was a treat of inspiration, practicality and good German food for this Okie in the midst of 16 Texan artists.
Tom at the head of our "classroom"
Tom's intense 9 to 5 sessions were the equivalent of a three-credit hour upper level course crammed into four days. 
So many stories. So much to learn. So much to paint.
Back home, there was a lull after the storm of ideas and learning, and almost everything I've tried to paint has  been more of a lesson than something to exhibit.
Tom critiquing a student's work, always encouraging, demonstrating
And now, other events will occupy me including continued learning. But I had to post just one thing so the blog would not skip a month. It's been active since May, 2009, though this is the only month since then with just one post. So there is that challenge. 
Next month, more painting, more stories. And the experience will change the way I paint--there will be lots more color in my watercolors.