March 22, 2014

Happy Birthday, Ken!

What a day! We're back in session and we had treats. Yes, to celebrate his birthday, Ken brought in mini-cupcakes and candles. Of course, we didn't get a chance to sing, but the cupcakes were delicious. And the curly crazy candle was so much fun!

Meanwhile, today is cold and gray after a single day of springlike weather. Even though the calendar definitely says it's spring. Could be worse, though. On the actual first day of spring, we had a light dusting of snow! We're really ready for spring this year—can't you tell?

Are you wondering about the end of the video? With the melting of the giant snow piles, we've all broken out real shoes. We knew you'd want to see what we're wearing, starting with Pat's steel-toed boots and hand-made tights. 

Let's get started. What better way to celebrate Spring than with cats? So here are some of Ken's incredible multi-colored cats.

 Maybe the stripes on the cats inspired these stripes. Ken's been testing his Arches hot-pressed paper again...to great effect.

 

As for the rest of us, we're feeling festive and tropical. Elaine paints a day at the beach.....

....while Susan documents her vacation in tropical Philippines. That's her (with her family) in rented costumes at a popular tourist/honeymoon spot. Looks like fun!

Don't Sara's colors feel like the essence of spring? 

And Vivian makes us remember the feeling of grass against our bare feet. We can't wait!

Meanwhile, the rest of us seem to be on a drawing kick; sometimes just as a prelude to a painting....

...and sometimes as a deliberate choice. John starts a new story with happy, frolicking children while Abla starts a drawing workbook (our old favorite—Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) and draws fabric studies.

Our artist of the day was Matisse, who prompted sporadic discussions of flat art and his style progression.

But the real discussion centered around our upcoming series. Beginning next week, you'll get a chance to get to know us individually. This should be fun. So tune in next week to meet Susan, learn what inspires her and maybe even see her paint. Looking forward to seeing you then!