Dear Diary,
Jen’s done it again. Jen had planned a girl’s evening at Scapes and Grapes for herself and 2 friends. She was so excited to spend an evening doing something different with just the girls. I had attended one of these “art classes” in the past and found it tedious. Everyone ultimately paints the same thing and follows along in a paint by numbers style which is fine, just not of any interest to me. Rob and I were both pleased to be off the hook!
Unfortunately, some last minute scheduling conflicts caused Jen’s girls night to be canceled but tickets had already been purchased and it was heartbreaking to see Jen’s dreams of becoming a world renowned artist dashed. In an act of absolute charity, Rob and I agreed to join Jen at The Seahorse Eats & Drinks for what was sure to be two hours of torture.
When I arrived at The Ocean Crest Pier, Jen and Rob were already settled and mingling with the other student and our instructor Nancy Tuck. I was surprised to see that there were no pre-drawn canvases and palettes of predetermined colors for us to use.
Instead I received a gracious welcome from Nancy and an instruction to draw whatever I liked and that she would help determine the best way to transfer my vision onto a canvas.
That was a nice surprise! Now the only concern was “what the hell am I gonna draw?” I quickly searched for simple paintings for beginners and quickly found a whale tail in the ocean. Perfect! This will be easy!
After drawing it poorly on some sketch paper, Nancy advised us that we were ready to move onto the canvas.
Panic!
I looked over to see Jen had drawn a lovely seahorse, Rob an incredible pirate ship, and another had a sunset featuring the OKI Lighthouse but here I sat with my drawing which drew several questions such as “what is that?” and “Are you sure that’s what it is?”
We all decided to put our faith in Nancy and began sketching out our designs on the canvas.
As we began to hesitantly select colors and mediums, Nancy guided us through the best selections and encouraged each of us along the way. I was thoroughly impressed with Jen and Rob’s natural skills and how quickly their visions came to life. I required a bit more coaching but the instruction was clear and I learned several new techniques that belies a clear untapped talent in me.
In the end, my whale in the ocean is breathtaking, Jen’s seahorse is magical, Rob’s pirate ship looks like the illustration to a children’s book, and the sunset is serene. They all turned out so well in fact that we framed them and they now adorn the hallway leading to Rob’s office. It turns out, a paint and wine class can be much more enjoyable than I ever thought. Like most things Jen drags me to, while I am loath to do it, it ends up being a much better experience than anticipated.
Jen was so inspired by the class that she purchased her own watercolor set. I can’t wait to see what she creates!
Dear Dave’s Diary-
I can’t believe Dave still hasn’t caught on to the fact I read his diary! Anyway, I’m just going to leave this here for him to see if he ever looks back to reflect. I can’t wait to take the class again when my girlfriends are able to go, OR I may have Nancy Tuck come to my house and do a private class. I did enjoy it so much and I know Nancy has so much more to teach me.
I am glad that Dave and Rob came with, I KNEW they would have fun! When is Dave going to learn that he always has fun, I think he likes making me twist his arm!
I have never been very good at drawing on paper, but I love all art so I was excited to get a little kit to play around with at home. I found a photo I took of my family on the beach and tried to put that to paper, it may not be art museum worthy, but I found it to be a relaxing way to unwind after another busy day.
