May Catch Up

It must be my fourteen plus years of teaching (and the countless years of being a student) that by May, my convictions waver. I'm always so motivated and energetic in September. The winter months make me want to drink tea, watch Downton Abbey, read, journal, make plans... and the excitement of those first 60 degree days at the end of March and early April are just what I need to keep me going. But May... May starts to smell of summer vacation and being outdoors. This internal teaching schedule tells me that the school year is coming to an end, that the bulk of our work is done and that we're ready for a break. (Yes, I know I have been on a break all year ;) You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom out of the teacher!

Despite this internal winding down, I hope that June and July get me back into a more regular, blogging rhythm. Here are a few things I got up to in May:

1. Visiting Kremer Pigments with my painting friends

KREMER PIGMENTS

EYE CANDY!!!

Click here for more photos

2. Studying Under the Masters III...

This is an online workshop through Jeanne Oliver's Creative Network. It's a six week course given by six different artists who choose a mentor artist to inspire their learning and creating. It's a wonderful course that combines art history and observation in order to inspire personal artistic growth. I highly recommend a visit to Jeanne's blog and a nosy around some of the course offerings. You can see my wood burning piece, inspired by jeanne Oliver and Horace Pippin, below.

3. Trying to paint a seascape using craft paint and mixed media paper

4. The hubby had work in Southern California, so I tagged along! I took loads of pics, which I will share in the next few days, but here's a sneak peek.

5. Revisiting Goals
I posted a list of learning goals last September (I took a peek at them in February) and it's time to revisit them to see how they are coming along. I'll let you know how I'm doing in another post.

6. Taking Walks
Brooklyn is in all it's glory and taking walks is a must.