Believe it or not, taking a painting class was Basil’s idea – but I was more than happy to sign up! This was not my first attempt at painting, but it is my first finished piece! My first attempt (years and years ago) was a bit ambitious. I bought a huge 4ft x 4ft canvas and envisioned creating a beautiful cityscape masterpiece that I would present to my dad – but I never got around to finishing it. I would carry this huge square canvas and my paints a few long blocks over to Central Park or sometimes paint up on the roof of our apartment building. I remember it would blow over in the wind on the roof (tall building) or bang up against me when I would carry it back from the park. Sort of a disaster. Come to think of it, I think I left it for my roommates to dispose of after I headed West. Sorry about that, so irresponsible of me!

My second attempt was taking a painting class with Eunice at the Art Students League. Turns out, it was a nude figure-painting class, something we managed to overlook in the class description. So we brought our own subject matter and painted against a backdrop of nudity, the most memorable of which was a man who looked like Santa Claus. I cannot for the life of me remember what I was painting. I do remember leaving all of my art supplies in the locker and never looking back, I think I still have the locker key. This abandoning of personal belongings is a bit of a trend for me it seems, must have been a load of $ wasted.

This time around, Basil and I signed up to take a class at Foothill College with Charles “Skip” Cantwell. The medium: water-soluble oils; a huge benefit of which is not having to deal with toxic chemicals.

The best thing about painting is just taking some time to do something out of the ordinary for a few hours a week. No matter how tired I am after a long day of work, I manage to leave the class relaxed and always in a good mood. The biggest investment is probably the cost of all the supplies and paints but once you pass that initial hurdle, they’ll last you for a while. That is, until you start thinking about all the other paint colors you need to stock up on and all the brushes you might need… but in my opinion, completely worth it!

Anyways, here are the results: (Original photographs followed by our works-of-art(?)):

Original:

Basil’s Painting:

Original:

My Painting:

When I told my mom what our subject-matter was, here are her two cents:
“How come whenever you go somewhere it is never for two of you doing something romantic? Is it something to do (with) SueAnn wanting to paint tunnel and Basil flower? Ha ha ha! Be little more forward in romantic mood, SueAnn.”

(A mother’s few nuggets of wisdom.)

Onto the next painting!

Basil has decided to take a break from painting to concentrate on his Business and Tax Accounting classes so I’m on my own for a while. The next attempt is going to be a gift for a friend. Stay tuned!