Past unpublished post #2

2.4.12

those darn bamboo leaves

so difficult to paint them

will I ever learn

This week, we learned, or relearned, or perfected the techniques for painting bamboo. 

To start the class, Sharon brought us into the museum to view the Ron Rosenstock exhibit.  Mr. Rosenstock is a photographer who captures amazing images with his camera.  Most of his images capture nature in its most wild, serene, exotic or melancholy.  One image that comes to mind is of a house shrouded in fog. In front of it stands a horse, grazing. There is something about it that makes me feel sad. I could not locate the photo I am referring to online, but below is another example. This image makes me feel peaceful and whimsical. I find myself looking and searching the photo for tiny fairies. 

For more about Ron Rosenstock, and his glorious photography, check out this site. 

After we toured the Rosenstock exhibit, we came back to our class room and proceeded in painting our bamboo, or another Rosenstock inspired subject of our choice. 

I decided, despite the urge to try to paint a landscape full of fog and filtering light, to stick to bamboo.  I knew that I still needed some work on my leaves.  Sharon was more than willing to assist me in that capacity.  She instructed me on the technique and urged me to try it. She was kind in correcting my errors and told me to practice painting leaves over and over again. I must have filled five pages of paper with nothing but leaves. By the end, my leaves were beginning to look more uniform and bamboo leaf shaped.  

At the end of the class we shared what we felt was our best efforts with the rest of the class. Looking at my fellow painters, I realized that I had a long way to go. But I felt that I was making some progress.  My bamboo leaves were looking less like chicken feet and more like leaves. I vowed to myself to practice the leaves some more over the week to come.