Winter flu kept folks away, but our small but mighty group managed to pull off some very nice paintings. Painting on black is very relaxing, and full of little surprises as you see your image emerge from the dark background.

'King of the Castle' is a little painting, acrylic on masonite, 7x10. The cool thing about this piece is the process - painted on a black surface, leaving the black underpainting to define the drawing. For the artist, it is a fascinating to build the painting. The below paintings were accomplished using the same technique.

This week at Cedar Lane students will explore this process using a subject of their choice. I will have a variety of animal resources (wonderful to paint wolves in this manner, for example). Wednesdays from 7-9:30, $20, all supplies included. Contact me for more information.

We've had a lot of fun this week in all classes honouring the Year of the Rooster. I guided a fun approach by creating a funky background first, engaging the creative spirit in a fun, loose process. Students worked on a variety of sizes, and could choose watercolour paper (140 lb) or canvas. I got to do one too - upper right corner:) Also, our two Chinese students took the opportunity to explore a more traditional style.