There is so much to tell, it's difficult to know where to start. So much has changed...and so much is exactly the same. Just ten years later.
My job is the same, that is an amazing thing. Well, I should say the company is the same. Wait, that's not even true, because the ownership has changed, twice. In those changes my job has become more... specialized. Which is good, and bad. Can i be more vague?
I guess I am being vague because I'm not sure what to write about. At first I thought I would go back and re-read the old posts, and update my multitudes of readers on things from the past. But, I don't think I want to read those old words. Just want to start again. So, yes...let's do it that way. Just gonna start this like a brand new blog.
Alright! Here is my first entry into my brand new blog...
SO is at choir tonight. She drives a long way to go to a small community choir that her aunts also attend. She really enjoys it, although I do wish she would find one closer. I thought about trying it. I think it would be alot of fun, and it's good exercise too. Good for the lungs. Good stress release - belting out a tune at the top of your lungs. Every fall and spring is a new season where they practice on Wednesdays, and then there is a short performance season. 5 or 6 concerts, at local community halls or churches. Sometimes a community invites them and sometimes they seek out a place. Most of the concerts are free, but they may do a couple a season that they sell tickets to, so they can recoup some of the costs. The conductor is a paid position. They also have an accompanying pianist, and that's a paid position as well.
They sing a variety of tunes, some are religious in nature, some a folk songs or even popular contemporary songs. It's an interesting mix. The concerts are pretty good - they are by no means professional. But... they're pretty good! A good night's entertainment.
And she really enjoys it. Which is why I thought about joining, too... but then decided not to. This should be hers by herself. This needed to be hers by herself. Maybe for me, but I think so, for her, too. We can't always be doing the same things, all the time.
So I tried different things, and lately have embraced painting. Yes, finally started to learn to oil paint. Taken some classes, am still taking some classes actually. I will post some pictures of the paintings. I have painted 5 whole paintings so far:
A Rose - my first painting teacher was a senior lady who runs a small studio in St. Albert. Very close to where we used to live in the new neighborhood. She always has a new student paint the exact same rose. I think it allows her to judge the student, learn how they paint, learn how to communicate with them. It took me forever, to paint that stupid rose, but I'm very proud of it. Currently, the lady is still running the studio, but it has an end date - at the end of May she is retiring and closing the studio permanently.
A Tiger - for a second painting, the teacher asked that we paint anything from her available collection of pictures. There were lots to choose from, but I chose the tiger so that I could learn to paint fur. It turned out very well, but again, took me over a hundred hours. It has a great set of eyes.
A Blue Heron - I was allowed to choose one of my own photos for the next painting, and I decided on a blue heron, again with the thought that I could learn to paint feathers and start delving into landscapes. It was many hours as well, although I sped up some of the process. I don't think landscapes are this teacher's strong suit, and when she declared the painting finished, I felt that there was much more to do, but the heron itself did look fantastic. The painting got put aside until just recently. When the teacher announced her retirement, I got scared and immediately signed up with another instructor. I say scared because...I think I have just enough knowledge of painting to be dangerous lol. Not enough to be good, but I think I can paint now. Dangerous, because I think I can do it but I still need instructing. The new instructor is way on the south side and works out of a community league basement. Anyway, after a dabbling in an impressionist painting that everyone in the class did, we were asked to bring in a work-in-progress. I took in the Blue Heron. New instructor is a genius with helping me fix it up and complete it. As of now, still working on it.
Bud the BC Stoner Frog - the only one to have an official name. After the teacher had a hard time with the instruction of the Heron - or I had a hard time with her instruction - I decided to go back to her collection of pictures to choose the next painting. I chose a green tree frog which we later found out was native to BC. It's sitting on a purple flower. It ended up being the colors of SO's room exactly. I started it...and then the pandemic hit. And then the teacher had emergency surgery. And the studio was open and closed and open and closed. I did most of it myself, and it turned out great. We gave it a name, framed it and hung it on the wall, in SO's room.
A Sunset Barn - We've passed this barn sooooo many times, on the way to camp. Finally one sunset night we could no longer resist and stopped to take photos of it. There are sun-highlighted trees, golden fields, a glowing red barn. It's almost done.
And those are my small collection of paintings. It's been fun. I so wish I would have started earlier. Cost was a factor for sure, and time. But now I wish I could do it more, there is so much to learn and I feel like time is running out. But the lesson is learned - if you want to try something, you've always wanted to try something...TRY IT. You never know, it may become the love of your life.
I'll stop now, and tell more about the paintings and the teacher and the instructor later.
But seriously... TRY IT.
