Graduation

Today is kind of a sad day. It was the last day of my painting class. While part of me is glad to have my Tuesday nights back, a bigger part of me is sad that class is over.

I was finally beginning to figure out some small amount of confidence in myself as a painter. Not a good painter - not that kind of confidence. But the ability to play. To try something out and NOT be good at it.

Something like this:

This is my last painting project for the class. I started it last week and finished it tonight - with SIGNIFICANT assistance from my teacher, of course. But I'm still proud of it. Not perfect by any means, but a nice strong step in the right direction.

I picked up a sketchbook that I'm going to try to carry around and get myself to continue to play with ideas and colors and images in the way that I've been learning to do. My teacher actually gave me (GAVE ME) one of her paintings tonight - a small landscape that I've been eyeing and trying to trace for weeks now. My goal is that at some point before her next class (which I can't take) starts in January, I could create a version of that landscape to give back to her.

I'm also currently up to my elbows in the beginnings of a knitting project - a 'boy blanket' for one of my friends whose wife is due in late December with their first child. It's not really a baby blanket because the colors aren't 'baby' persay but I'm very excited about it. I won't post pictures here until it's been finished and gifted but just know that it is turning out quite well (if I do say so myself...).

It's been wonderful to get back to that more creative side of myself that more often than not gets squashed down underneathe the practical accountant side. I've reveled in having my hands covered in paint for days after class and poring over the yarn colors at Hobby Lobby to find JUST the right shade. It reminds me that I really need to devote time to that aspect of myself and enjoy those activities that I love that aren't work-related.

Colin and I head to Seattle on Thursday so I imagine that I will come back with all sorts of fantastic ideas that I'll have to work on - rainy landscapes to paint, scarves to knit and tasty food to write drool-worthy blogs about. Look for pictures and trip stories to be posted here when we get back next week!