Georgia Pears 14002, Oil Painting, Sketch Class for Free and Blue Mesa Menu by Texas Artist Nancy Standlee

Free Class:
But do I have some good news if you are interested in a sketchbook journaling class and it’s free. Strathmore online workshop is offering 3 workshops with 3 different artists and the first one starts Monday, March 10 with Earnest Ward in his Back to Basics course and a supply list. From their website Strathmore states “Our online workshops are self-paced. Each workshop consists of four video lessons and supporting downloadable instructions. Students can participate in conversations and share their work.” Earnest Ward is a Texas boy living nearby and I’ve signed up. See you in class.

Not so free class:
at Sketchbook Skool and yes, I’ve signed up for this one also.
6 weeks and 6 teachers for $99.00. Quoted from the website:
“Creativity isn’t about “talent.” It’s about having fun creating art and making it a regular part of your life. Anyone can do it and everyone should.

I enjoy keeping a journal and here’s a page from one of mine.

These are pages 18 and 19 from my 90 lb. Strathmore Visual journal from 2013. As you can see I use mine for a lot of note taking and reminders and it seems on these days I had an obsession with Lamy pens. Journals are so much fun to revisit. 

I’m also going to Kanuga for their watermedia workshops and study with David Rankin who uses the iPad and Paper 53, an app, to keep sketchbooks in the morning with watercolor afternoons. If you are on Facebook, David posts some wonderful art several times a week so make him your friend.

Here is a link about David Hockney about how the iPad inspires him.    

Thanks for reading and I hope one of the classes inspire you to make a journal entry after you get your taxes done. 

Just sold Pop Star and it stays in Texas and around the area where it was created.

Blue Mesa Grill:
Here is a blog post about painting some menu items for the Blue Mesa Grill. I was commissioned to go to the restaurant, paint some food items for their menu revision and the menu debuts in mid March. If you sign up to be a Chilehead on their website you will get Blue Mesa newsletters but the March issue has gone out but just in case you missed it I will include a portion of the very nice write up here about how this came to be. Yes, I did have some complications from cataract surgery, then some laser surgery, with both eyes dilated, went to the nearby Blue Mesa Grill to hang out, journal and eat because I couldn’t see to get home but could see well enough to draw my food and stayed there until it was dark. Who wants to go home when you can eat some fresh southwest flavored food? Liz and Jim Baron liked the sketch and over a period of several months I ate and sketched, sketched and ate, felt like Van Gogh hanging out at a French cafe except I hung out at the Arlington location and was treated royally every time I made an appointment to sketch.
A portion of the newsletter: (the white plate on right is my original journal entry)

All this was going on in my October birthday month and they let me invite some girl friends to join me for lunch.

 Later in the week they hosted one of my sons and a friend.

As my musician son would say “This was a very good gig”. Thanks Liz and Jim for a very pleasant commission.  Here is a page from my journal that started it all, a 9×6″ 93 lb. Aquabee Super Deluxe journal, 6-21-2013 entry. (This is a nice size to stick in your purse/backpack to make entries during your wait times and it takes watercolor well enough.) Later when the menus are out I’m taking the whole family to the Blue Mesa to celebrate and yes, there will be photos and journal entries.

Dreams otTK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreams-of-the-Turtle-King/523637907718244