I've gotten used to painting still lifes by myself in my studio. Inanimate objects are nice to paint. You can put them exactly where you want them and they just sit there. You can leave and come back and they're still there waiting for you. Painting by yourself is nice. All your own stuff, working at your own pace, and when it comes time to compare yourself to the other painters in the room, you usually end up pretty near the top. Painting a live model with others was something I hadn't done for a really long time. I've been affiliated with this particular group of painters online for awhile, but I hadn't had the opportunity to paint with them in person. Life is rich as we like to say, and between the family and the day job and the other day job, it was hard to make it work logistically. But, finally, here I was, brushes in hand, hoping I didn't embarrass myself too badly. Surrounded by really good painters. Under the watchful eye of amazing painter Eric Bowman. No pressure, right?
Turns out the other painters were as kind and supportive as they are talented. Carol, one of the owners of the studio where we were painting, and a really good painter herself, repaired my paintbox, completely unsolicited, which had literally fallen apart midway through the first day of the workshop. And Eric Bowman is as magnanimous in his instruction as he is a virtuoso in his painting. All things said, I couldn't have had a better group of people to paint with. My best work? Far from it. But it was a good start. Thanks, everybody.
