Today was a fun-filled day! I’m auditing painting classes at Motlow Community College, trying to reignite my love of painting. Some of you may know I received my Associate of Arts from Motlow Community College three years ago. I enjoyed my painting class then, but after I graduated, I dove into improving my drawing skills.
Sadly, I didn’t keep up with my painting or charcoal work—two things I enjoyed very much while in school. So, I decided to audit the painting class this semester in hopes of kicking my artistic desires back into gear.
The lesson for today (actually for a few days) was to bring in a stuffed animal of some kind and material for a backdrop. The professor said to make it easy—bring in a solid color, nothing too detailed.
Here’s where you can start laughing. I took in a few different backgrounds and stuffed animals (yes, I still have stuffed animals). I couldn’t make up my mind on which one to use, so I brought a few to play around with in the setting to see which I liked best.
Guess what background I chose? Black with multiple colors—oranges, yellows, greens (light and dark), lighter orange (yes, again!), and purple. And for my stuffed animal? A dragon.
My professor and I have known each other since I graduated. We’re also friends on Facebook, and she has helped guide me on a few art projects since graduation. Today, we joked:
“Art teacher says to go easy and choose a solid color. Art student says okay and picks the most colorful cloth she could find.”
Yep, that was me. I felt it was the right choice, and I wanted a challenge.
After starting the painting, I quickly realized I got exactly the challenge I wanted. But it’s so much fun! I was telling my professor my vision, and she showed me some different techniques to help bring it to life.
Our piece is supposed to be more of a realism painting. Mine will not be. (You can laugh again.) However, after two hours of painting, I was pleasantly surprised by how it was turning out. It looked more like the scarf pattern than I’d originally thought. I’ll post a picture once it’s finished.
Has taking this class helped rekindle my love and enjoyment of painting? Yes, it has! And I hope to keep this enjoyment going. Especially now that I’m discovering my style is a mix of Impressionism and Expressionism. Occasionally, I even throw in some Abstract—just for fun.
So, what’s something you used to enjoy but haven’t done in a while? Would you like to get back to it? Or maybe try something new that’s similar?
What might help kickstart your creative spark?
Whatever it is, I hope you don’t wait too long before enjoying yourself again.
Till next time… May your days be filled with love, hugs, laughter, and blessings. And go enjoy yourself with a hobby or fun activity—life is precious and far too short.🦋
Blessings, my friends.🌻
We are Creatively Unlimited! 
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