Be kind to yourself ...

There is no doubt about it ... this painting thing is hard, but try not to be too hard on yourself. I say this, not necessarily because I follow what I say myself but mostly since I have started teaching classes again ... I see students wrestling with the process vs. the finished product.

All too often, the finished painting becomes the goal and the process is forgotten ... the love of the paints and the brushes and the feel of the rough canvas ... even the smell of the oils. That is the love. I won't say that I am not guilty of this myself but when I slip into that place where I am judging what I am doing ... it is then, I try to remember that I love doing this ...

Warm wishes,

Barbara

to gift

I have been away ~ with friends and family and enjoying myself immensely. I do find this time of year incredibly satisfying as we come together more often ... to make warm meals and sit together talking further into the night.

One of my other passions is knitting ... and again I come to it more often in the fall, with a fireplace and warm light. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching a young person to knit and she took to it famously ... off to knit her first scarf. Truthfully, mostly what I do is scarves ... and then give them away to dear friends or a stranger who might need one.

These are gifts for some very dear people in my life and my introduction to knitting lace ~ very beautiful to knit and I think I may do more ...

Wet Felting

Wet felting this weekend with my daughter and some friends ~ I love all the work and I find it so rewarding to work with young people and show them a few different things. Even if they never chose to pick it up again ~ at least there is a sense of history and the artist ... hopefully it will stay with them and they might choose right path! It is good to keep them close without asking them to stay. I love their company and they enjoyed their day so much!

Wet felted wool rovings !