We went to a family reunion last month and got to revisit the Sandhills of Nebraska, as well as reconnect with family, of course. Our daughter took a nice photo of a sunset and I wanted to try to paint it. To do it, I had to practice smooth washes again. That took several tries. Something that seems like it should be so simple is not so simple after all.
While trying a new brush stroke, I found it worked well for painting flamingos, and so I ended up filling a few sheets of paper with them. After deciding that flamingos would be in my newest painting, I studied a little about them.
The new thing I tried in this painting is to make a border with masking tape so there is room to frame it. I learned this in high school, but was just reminded of it again. Always something new to learn (or be reminded of).
Next exercise - copy a master’s work. While this was not what I started out to do, I found a public domain painting with a girl who reminded me of - me!
Driving through the country recently, I was delighted with the leaves blowing around on the road in front of my car - it looked like they were dancing! It was a reminder that even small things can bring joy. I am thankful in this Thanksgiving season for small joys as well as the larger blessings.