Reflecting

I thought I would be blogging like crazy every evening while on holiday, but the reality is that I can barely keep my eyes open. What with spending all day in the fresh air and sunshine, sampling the odd glass or three of local fruits of the vine of an evening, and then listening to a mixture of the gentle sounds of my son's snoring and the sea lapping the sandy shoreline.... It all gets a touch soporiphic I can tell you.

So much for bringing sketchbook and pencils too. I have only managed the one page of sketches I posted on Sunday. Photography however is much easier. I've been looking for the interesting and unusual as well as the  obligatory 'son with ice-cream chops' and 'golden sand/blue sea and sky' shots.

Shortly after I return I am once more taking Amelia Critchlow's Experimental Art E-Course. It was just over a year ago that I became one of her first students on this class and found it one of my favourites. It's rather like joining a gym when you haven't exerised for years. Firstly, she warms you up gently with some easy stretching, then up goes your heart rate and blood begins to pump creativity through your veins. Before you know it you've built up some stamina and muscle and are ready for a Decathalon, or as many different art forms as you can cram into your experiments! There are still places on the next course and I can highly recommend it. OK, so you might not lose those inches round your waistline, but you'll sure see a lightening in that art material stash you've been sitting on for all these years.

Despite having the lessons from last time, this is definitely one of those courses where I know I'll benefit from taking again - especially as I've added another 12 months creative experience to my art stash. As with many of these online lessons, half the pleasure and learning comes from the student community - the sharing and marvelling how differently we can all interpret instruction and guidance. I remember last time in the pre-course introductions all the chat around how timid we were with our art.... a few weeks later and we could have filled a gallery!

The photograph up top is the result of one of Amelia's lessons (have you guessed what it is yet?). You'll have to sign up and become an experimenter to learn more...