Just Start

How do you start doing something that you think you might like to do, or want to do?  What is it that
makes you "just do it"?  We all have something that we think we might want to try or pursue.  Taking the
first step is the toughest.  Then, of course is the continuing and making yourself do it.
I am hoping that this site will serve as an inspiration to others who
are thinking of a new adventure.  I hope it will keep me inspired to
continue my own growth.  I definitely have those days when I
don't feel inspired, and need a big push.  Perhaps this blog will serve
as my motivation, and your advice and feedback will help us all.

I began painting in 2005 when I found and bought a book at a used book store, "Fantastic Furniture in an Afternoon" by Mickey Baskett.  I figured my daughter, Laura, and I could have some summer fun at our Maine cottage by giving new life to some old camp furniture.  We took Mickey's ideas, created our own and painted to our hearts delight.
After we had painted most of the surfaces of furniture, Laura began her summer camp counselor job, then returned to college.    Now, I needed to expand my horizons, but in a small Maine town I had a limited choice, so Floor Cloth Painting! I learned a whole new subject, early American art, acrylic paint, varnish, polyacrylic, color mixing.  
Early American women used old sail cloth to cover their floors and painted them to add some decorative touches to their homes.  It is a wonderful art form, and there are many books with great idea and patterns for painting floor cloths.  I use mine in high traffic areas to protect hard wood floors.   They can be refreshed by washing and re-varnishing when needed.  There are some wonderful books about this subject.  My library expanded.            
When I returned to the West Coast, my Early American Folk style art needed to change.  There just aren't classes for this style of art in the local community colleges.  Thus, began the real journey! Art is an enormous field, I hope to record some of my exploration of the field, and share my new knowledge.  This blog will help me diary the learning process and encourage me to keep delving into the field and sharing it with others, opening new doors to all of us

One of my first classes at Bellevue Community College, now Bellevue College, was Flower Painting with Acrylics.  My teacher, Virginia, is an   outstanding teacher.  I repeated the class a few times, learning the material in different ways as I progressed and as it happens, regressed.  The lightbulb moment happens when you know there is so much more to learn than you ever thought, and wow, won't that be exciting when you know a little more than you know now!
I think the lightbulb moment is the understanding and the momentum to keep learning.  I hope the light keep shinning for me!  I have been enjoying my adventure in art, appreciating many facets of the field, meeting wonderful people, finding new opportunities, and as in most pursuits, having to take extended breaks form my avocation for various life events.

 Flower Painting from one of my first classes