I did it and I'm glad I did by Judy Wynne

I did it and so glad I did

Something amazing happened recently. I finally fulfilled a goal on my retirement "things I will do list" that I have procrastinated about for ten years. I participated in a watercolor workshop at The Burchfield Penny Art Center. As a docent at the Burchfield Penney, a goal I did fulfill, I was encouraged by a fellow docent to join the class. It was a workshop lead by Joe Whalen and Jeff Watkins listed as a beginner class101. I did it and so glad I did.

Joe Whalen presented a humorous and instructive approach to the art of watercolors. He shared some of his well-known paintings to demonstrate his points. Jeff Watkins led us through a step by step demonstration creating a landscape. Paints and brushes had been provided. We washed our watercolor paper, painted a sky, ground, a horizon line and vanishing point. It was Vygotsky at its best. But the best part was, I learned to make clouds. You use a Kleenex. I have always been fascinated by clouds, even more so as I have studied Burchfield's paintings in preparation for presenting his work to our visitors. No, my clouds don't look like his, nor could my finished product hang anyplace but on my refrigerator.

More classes will be held in the future, I plan to go.

Judy Wynne

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Judy Wynne is a retired elementary educator, a docent at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, and a fellow of the Western New York Writing Project ’96. She is a board member of the WNYWP a reader, writer and now a painter! Judy is a proud mother of three and grandmother of seven creative and delightful grandchildren. Judy and her husband Jim live on Grand Island.