This piece was done yesterday. A group from the Art League of Fort Myers met at The Butterfly House in downtown Fort Myers. Being lazy, I drew/painted this scene from in front of my auto trunk where I set up a chair to depict the rear entrance to the office. I love older homes with shapes and shadows. It is a mixed media; first I drew with watercolor pencils, then I brushed over sections to create washes, then back in my studio I added Gouache with brush which was the first time I have used it.
Next I finished an oil on canvas of the preserve behind our home. Not sure I captured the effect I was looking for. Need to keep working, however, so I can learn.
We held the second of three performances of ArtPoems. Our 2018 catalog of art and poems can be purchased on Amazon, or through the website: ArtPoems.org. These are two scenes of the authors and painters after the show.
On Friday, if you are in Fort Myers (I STRONGLY encourage it as I read the weekend weather forecasts for the Midwest and Eastern seaboard), Art Walk is Friday night when all the galleries will be open, street music, restaurants, etc. If not then, our work will be on display during the month of April. I will try to take some pics Friday night for the next blog. Also, I entered the two photos from the last blog created in my Dan Graziano workshop in Punta Gorda last January.
Some humor:
The last words I heard from my parrot were: Darn, I think my parrot is going to die today.
from Readers Digest, April 2018.
Travel to and fro: Well, we had four guests, singles or couples and children in March, which we loved. I think, in turn, they loved the guest cabana off the pool. One more confirmed, Linda's brother and his wife will arrive Saturday evening for about 10 days here and on Sanibel.
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| Terri and Paul Wienke from STL and my sister Val from Punta Gorda, FL outside Twins stadium for Spring Training game vs Houston Astros. |
Getting ready for my STL trip later this month, Looking forward to seeing Dominic and my friends. Still on for his graduation from Wash U in May. Have not yet booked a weekend in The Keys. Our Rhine River cruise is shaping up. Was reminded that my cousin Joan's son is living in Amsterdam so I will reach out to see what he suggests we visit. Our former au pair, Claudia, has confirmed she and her children will drive over to see us at one of the river stops. She said they are about 1 1/2 hours away. Can't wait to catch up.
Two (small) life changes: Back in Spanish class. I struggled in the second session of Spanish I. Nevertheless, decided to jump back in and man up. Worked on clocks and numbers this week. After two hours of almost all Spanish dialogue I drive home with a headache. Reminds me of 2 weeks in Europe trying to communicate in France and Italy - exhausting; one of reasons I admire (immigrants (legal) in the US. It is tough going. Many immigrant success stories I encountered during my banking career were so inspirational.
And, the reason I have time for Spanish again, and just a few of you knew this, was that after six weeks working at Florida Gulf Coast U on staff in their business school, I decided I was not a good fit for their needs so I resigned. I did not want to get in too deep in a situation that wasn't going to get better and then they would have to restart a search to replace me. Good pay, enjoyed being on campus, but I should have asked a few more/better questions about their Small Business Development Center program. Now I know, I will stay retired and paint, bicycle, volunteer, travel, and enjoy the Florida lifestyle.
Remember, if you would like to purchase any of the art on my website: claudelylesartworks.com, contact me so we can discuss price and shipping arrangements. I sold 6 pieces last year. If you view on your mobile device instead of your laptop/desktop, use the "hamburger" menu in the upper left to open the various pages.
