You're Never Too Old to Paint

Today I joined my 86 year old mother at a watercolor class. Mom lives in an assisted living facility. The former chaplain of the adjacent skilled nursing facility has been teaching watercolor to some of the residents once a week for the past five weeks.

I am in awe of the talent in the group. My mother used to paint when she was younger but hasn't painted in several years. She is rusty and lacking in confidence, so it was nice to see her give it a try. Among the others there were a few that obviously had painted before, plus a couple who are new to painting. Regardless of individual skill levels, each one tackled the "assignment" with enthusiasm. Today we learned how to use masking tape to mask off the trunk and main branches of a birch tree.

Here are some photos of the group at work:

And now, the painters with their masterpieces:

This is my mother :). She needed some coaxing and it took her a little time to get the spattering technique down. Too bad I chopped off the bottom of the painting when I took the photo, because her birch bark was quite lovely.

This young lady is a self-taught oil painter. She has a phenomenal sense of color and composition. She is not as experienced in watercolor, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her paintings.

I just love her bold colors choices.

Don't you love her dramatic color choices and bold textures? She has her own recognizable style that comes out in every picture she paints.

This lovely lady likes to paint buildings, and her birch tree is providing the shade. Note the red tile roof she painted on the middle building.

My tree. The most important thing I learned: if you goof, don't give up. If you are lucky, you can paint over it!