Monday, February 2, 2009

A Year of New Experiences

Cold Wind Blowing
Work in Wool, Silk & Thread

Today I took a step toward accomplishing one of the many goals I had set for myself at the beginning of the year. I took an oil painting lesson from Richard who has been a long time friend of John's. I have always admired not only his compositional skills but he has an amazing sense of colour. His work is pretty well divided between both landscapes and figurative work. So, for the next month or so were going to meet in his studio once a week and I'm going to pick his brain and of course do the practical work. This probably doesn't in any way mean I'm going to delve into the world of oil painting but I do hope to open up any creative doors that may let me in. I want this to be a year of experimental learning which again doesn't mean I'm giving up the work I do now. I have a show coming up this year and the Images Studio Tour in October and besides I love what I do. There's absolutely no question about that....but.....and isn't there always a but.....my personal feeling is that anything I'm open to receiving can only make my work better at this moment and in the future. Here's to open doors..........


6 comments:

Ellen said...

I've been in exactly the same mood as you. Wanting to expand and experiment, not to change so much as just to learn something new beyond my comfort zone. Wonderful you get one on one mentoring.
The new piece is very different though, a little darker mood, more abstract, I like it!

andrea said...

And not to mention that this is a really strong piece. Nice work.

Tracy Helgeson said...

I like this piece a lot too, Melody.

Good job doing something to fulfill one of your goals for the year. I should be paying attention:)

Anonymous said...

This is fantastic, Melody!! I've been thinking of taking a class outside my medium just to shake things up a bit.

I agree, the piece is very strong!

Melody said...

Ellen, Andrea, Tracy and Cynthia....thanks so much for your support of the work. I'm hoping to continue blogging about my lessons, what I'm learning and how I'm applying the knowledge to my work.

Jean Levert Hood said...

It's a great start for the new year!! Excellent, Melody! I think that experimenting helps our creativity so much. Have fun with it. I have been experimenting myself this year, nothing I have shown yet, but branching out to new things.