No Disappointment

Year Two of David Dewey's Watercolor Masterclass Workshop.

Since last year, my first experience, my feet hardly touching the ground all week, this year I was trying to keep myself from being too psyched up, lest I set myself up for a feeling of let down.

Ah, no.

I drove up to Bath to stay with my good friend, the mom of my daughter's husband. It takes about 12 hours. Next morning I'm up very early to make the hour plus commute, but I'm still late. I misjudged how much time it took for the commute to Owl's Head, forgot about the slow moving trucks on the two lane road, and did not remember to review the details to David's house, and I couldn't find 73 at first.

So I felt badly because he held off starting until I arrived. Although I saw many familiar faces, they didn't seem all that welcoming. He says we were just chatting. I apologized sincerely.

We stay right there in downtown Owl's Head and he does a demo of the back of the general store. I paint two kyacks on a rack and it looks like a banana and a frisbee. Very bright. He says it's hard not to like this painting at the critique. (My subconscious is wondering, is this a way of saying, you shouldn't like this painting!?) He says that my painting says: "I'm up in Maine having a wonderful time."

Christie, his assistant, had told one of my classmates nearby to come look at my picture. I'm not afraid to use my darks and make my shadows deep. That is why I chose to paint the kyacks, the drama between the garish yellow and red and the deep shadows. But again, just like last year, it looks like 6th grade prang paints to me and it is bloppy and full of too much overflowing paint.....

I am not so concerned about the critique this year though. I am here to learn.