Pastels with the Little Girls

We've been working on fence in the afternoons when Toby gets home from work. The cooler weather this week has been helpful and much more pleasant for fence building. Amazingly enough, I still manage to work up a sweat. Fortunately, the sun sets earlier, and we don't work long. That's a really good thing for these old bones.

I had plans to get some pottery glazed for firing. And I did get a bit done Monday night, since Toby had to work on the four-wheeler rather than the fence. I had thought to put some wax resist on the bottoms of some pieces and come back the next morning to glaze them. But no. I ended up babysitting for the Grands - not that I minded that. While I was there, the piano teacher gave each of the kids a little lesson on the piano. Before she left, the two-year-old ran in and climbed up on the piano bench and sat with such correct posture and hand placement, it made me laugh. The teacher pulled up her chair and set up a book for him. Then he very lightly with two fingers touched the keys. The teacher praised him highly, and he was so pleased. Apparently it is a ritual with them.

I hurried home after babysitting, since I had art with the big girls. We did a little lesson on creating depth in painting. For the lesson, I chose pastels. I thought they would be easier since there is no paint mixing - the colors are what they are pretty much. My girls don't have that much experience with color and value, which are used for creating depth. Pastels should be easier for them in picking out cool and warm colors as well as dark and light. Pastels are dang messy, though. There was pastel dust and color all over the room and the students. But their paintings turned out fairly well.

Today I am supposed to paint with my old Painted Ladies group. Last week we went to Jean's funeral, which was very nicely done in her backyard, which she loved, and her paintings were displayed throughout her house. In a moment of emotion and nostalgia, Barb invited Glenna and me over to paint today - like old times. It will be great to paint with them again, but it will never be quite the same without Jean.