Art Class

I arrived early at the senior center for the first day of my Painting with Acrylics class.  The Materials List had instructed me to "dress comfortably" so I wore cropped sweatpants, old, dirty running shoes and a wrinkled HRC tee shirt.  I admit it; I hadn't had time to shower.  The teacher, dressed in a green floral blouse, dark slacks and sparkly earrings smiled when I entered the bright room.  With a slight accent, she introduced herself.  When I mispronounced her name, she patiently told me it was the same as the name 'Marvin' but with a different first letter.  Within seconds I forgot what letter her name began with and only knew that it rhymed with Marvin.

I put my white Michael's bag on the table in front of us and showed  ?arvin the brushes I had bought.  She slid the bristles back and forth across her her fingers.  "These brushes are for oil paint," she said.  "You need brushes for acrylics."  She said she had some brushes I could borrow.  "Did you bring something you wanted to paint?" she asked.  I told her I hadn't, so she brought a Costco envelope stuffed with photographs, as well as some brushes over to my table.

I browsed through the photos of postcards, posters and paintings from the Costco envelope.  I found a photo that I liked of several colorful leaves on a green and brown background.  ?arvin began mixing my paints to match one of the background colors, then she showed me how to paint the canvas (zig zag strokes, not horizontal).  She handed me the brush and I was on my way.

Later, ?arvin mixed the brown paint for the rest of my background and I finished covering the canvas.  ?arvin  returned and looked over my shoulder.  "Very good," she said.  Then she picked up the brush and said, "You can use water to blend the color like this."  She began brushing more paint over my canvas.  She continued to paint, mixing more green and then brown, pausing to slide my canvas closer to where she leaned.  By the time she was finished, ?arvin had repainted my entire canvas.  Every stroke was hers.

I spent the rest of the class time drawing and painting leaves.  ?arvin spent the rest of the class time painting over much of my work.  Initially, I felt confusion, frustration, and disappointment.  But by the end of class I was able to relax and even smile a little at her teaching technique.  I realized that even though I would end up with a painting that was hers instead of mine, I was learning how to mix, blend, and paint with acrylics on canvas.

When class was over ?arvin asked, "Do you have time to paint at home?"  I told her that I did.  "Good," she said.  "You work on it at home, then bring it in and we fix it."

Materials

"Discover your creative talent and learn techniques such as design, composition and color."  I begin my artist's life tomorrow morning at the local senior center with a class called, "Painting with Acrylics" for participants age 50+ ("If space is available, 14 - 49 year old(s) may register.").  The class is for beginners and intermediates.  I hope to sit next to a beginner, age 50+.

Today I print out the materials list for the class and drive over to Michael's.  My experience at Michael's, by the way, is that it's better to find your own items than to ask someone who works there to help you.  I stroll over to the paint aisle and find the shelf with the least expensive paints (Kevin is with me) and check my list: ACRYLIC PAINTS (YELLOW, BLUE, RED, WHITE AND BLACK).  I select cadmium yellow medium hue, cobalt blue hue, cadmium red hue, mixing white, and mars black.

Next on the list:  BRUSHES (ACRYLIC) 3 DIFFERENT SIZES and CANVAS (any size you want to work with).  I don't like choices.  I pick out three brushes that are the least expensive and a 14" x 11" canvas.  I'm beginning to regret not purchasing the paintbrush with bristles shaped like a fan (it wasn't on sale), and I think my canvas is too big.  I wonder what time Michael's opens in the morning.

I'm also supposed to bring a TABLECOVERING (3 x 3 feet), PLASTIC CONTAINER and a TOWEL OR PAPER TOWEL.  Kevin says he can bring a vinyl tablecloth home from work, and says he has a small tool box in the garage that he can let me use.  I worry that the tablecloth won't be 3 x 3 feet and hope I will have enough time to cut it before class in the morning.  I also worry that it will have red checks.  I'm hoping the small toolbox will fit my new paintbrushes which have extraordinarily long handles.

I'm nervous about my first day tomorrow morning; walking into a room full of strangers (some of whom are intermediate artists).  I think of the last line on the materials list:  DRESS COMFORTABLY AND WEAR A SMOCK OR APRON TO PROTECT YOUR CLOTHES.  I relax a bit.  The instructor wants me to be comfortable.  I think that's a good sign.