Private Party - Boy That Was Fun!!!

 I Do Private Parties

Recently I was asked to teach a painting class at an invitation only event at Eagle Creek Winery Tasting Room 

in Warsaw, KY.

This group of women came ready to paint and have FUN!

We painted lighthouses.

Everyone made their lighthouse their own. 

There was lots of giggling going on

as the lighthouses began to take shape.  

This was one really fun bunch of painters.

I'm still laughing.

The winner of a painted slate shingle and an Eagle Creek towel with her loot.  

This party was a blast.

If you would like to host your own painting party,

please email me at sharongraves@paintingwithacrylics101.com

And I can give you the lowdown on how it works.  

I have a minimum of 5 participants if within 20 miles.

It goes up the further I have to travel.

You will need a venue that has enough room for your guests to be safely distanced and you will need to supply tables and chairs and

 if you want refreshments for your guests.

I supply everything else. 

Let's have a party!  

If you're interested in online classes,

I've got you covered there also.  

Visit my website for a full blown art course,

single subject classes,

and a free class as well as a free blog.

Click HERE to go to my new and improved website. 

If you've always wanted to learn to paint or draw, but life got in the way, join my FREE Facebook group,

Bucket List Artists.  

I go live in there every Thursday with a lesson on drawing or painting or just getting motivated.

There's over a years worth of live videos there for you to look through and learn from and enjoy.  

You'll need to go to that page, ask to join, and then answer the 3 questions that pop up.  Then the door will open for all that goodness for you.  This is a safe place for a beginner to get solid instruction, ask questions, 

post your work and encourage others. 

Click HERE to go to the Facebook Group. 

Thanks for stopping by today,

and if you made it to this part of the post,

YOU are my HERO!

 

Painting is So Much Fun!

Painting is Fun,

No Matter How Many Come!

Gary is a good friend of mine and last week he came to the Community Art Center of Switzerland County 

in Vevay, Indiana to paint this fun beach scene.  

Gary is all in for fun and for learning.

He listens and works hard to understand 

and follow directions.  

Because of that, he always does a great job.

This is his fun flip flop and beach scene.

(Applause)

Some of the things learned in this class were:

1. Creating distance in the sky, water and sand,
2. How to paint a weathered fence,
3. How to draw and paint the flip flops
4. How to paint distant birds,
5. How to let go and have fun.

That last part is often hard for people to do.

Letting go, quit comparing yourself to someone else,

have fun can be so hard.

Why?

Why do we make it so hard?

Our insecurities grab a hold of us 

and start whispering in our ears:

"You're not as good as he is"

"You can't do this"

"Who do you think you are to think you can paint"

Ever hear any of that going on in your head?

STOP IT!

Stop that voice!

Tell that voice to go away!!!

Don't let that voice steal your joy!

Join us for our next class

and leave "the voice" at home!

Here's the list of classes in March created for beginners:

March 14, Paint 2 wine glasses

noon - 2 p.m. 

Community Art Center of Switzerland County, Vevay, In

$20

March 21, Paint this Easter Basket

noon - 2 p.m. 

General Butler State Park

Recreation Center - between the tennis courts and the conference center.

Carrollton, KY

$20

March 21, Paint This Easter Basket

noon - 2 p.m.

Community Art Center of Switzerland County,

Vevay, In

$20

Three opportunities to take a beginning painting class.

I'll be walking you through step by step, not just the how,

 but also the why we do things.

Bring yo momma, yo sissy, your BFF, your posse'

or come as you are.

You'll make friends,

you'll learn something,

you'll have fun!!!

You Can Learn to Paint

You Should Join Us

The Third Saturday of the Month

The third Saturday of the month you are invited to paint with me at General Butler State Park in Carrollton, KY.

Noon - 2 p.m. 

$20 and I supply everything.

We've moved to the recreation center

 near the conference center. 

This past Saturday a group of ladies came to the park to paint this fun beach scene.

Mom and sisters came together to paint

and have fun.

Susan has come several times and has done some great work.

Yep right now she's painting upside down.

There's more than one way to skin a cat ya know.

This is usually where I put my video of the painters painting, but for some reason I can see the video and I can watch the video but I can't transfer the video anywhere.

(Gee I love technology)

But here we are with our finished products.  

Looks at all those fun flip flops.  

This was a great group even if we were few in numbers.  

Some of the things they learned was how to create depth in a sky, how to paint water and sand, 

the how behind laying out a painting.  They learned how to paint sand so it looks wet, how to paint a rustic wooden fence, how to paint grass and 

how to paint small birds in the distance.  

I try to make sure all my students understand the why of what they're doing and to just, "put a stroke here".

Here are the paintings we will be doing in the future. 

 March 21, we'll be painting this charming Easter basket.

You'll have lots of creativity in your basket and what color you choose for your eggs and your grass.  

April 18 we'll paint this fun blue jar with tulips and hydrangeas in it.

You're going to love painting glass.

May 16th we'll be painting this fun lighthouse.

Make it any lighthouse you want.

I'm just teaching a method, you make it your own.

Remember, it's the 3rd Saturday of the month,

noon - 2 p.m.

General Butler State Park

Carrollton, KY  41045

at the recreation center next to the conference center.

$20 and I provide everything you need.

You provide the fun.

__________________________________________

If you've always wanted to learn to paint or draw, 

but life got in the way,

 join my FREE Facebook group

 Bucket List Artists. 

Click HERE to go to the page.

Ask to join and answer the 3 questions that will pop up and you'll be in in no time.

I go live in there Thursdays at 1 p.m.

There's over a years worth of classes 

just waiting for you to join in.  

The key to unlocking the door to all this camaraderie and fun and instruction is answering the 3 questions.  If you don't answer, the door can't open and I want you in here having fun and learning how to paint and/or draw.  

For more instruction, click HERE to go to my website

where I have paid classes, a full blown art course, a free blog with lots of instruction and a free 4 video painting class.  

Click HERE to go to my other website

 with all my available art.  

Hey, thanks for stopping by today and 

let's paint together real soon.  

Paining With Gifted and Talented Kiddos!

Gift and Talented Kiddos

This past week I had a great opportunity to paint with a super group of kiddos in Carroll County Kentucky.  

We took over the art room at the high school and had a blast painting a beach scene with flip flops in the sand.

I had several middle schoolers and high schoolers and a teacher who did a super job painting.

there were lots of giggles and paint splatters.

 There was some after school snacking, giggling

and painting going on in this great art room.

Everyone stayed busy and focused on their art.

And finally,

We are finished 

and didn't they do a great job.  

They all must love yellow flip flops!  

How fun is that.  

If your group, class or posse would like to paint together as a group, shoot me a message

and let's paint together real soon.

If you would like to take a Free online painting class

click HERE.

In case you didn't know, I have a YouTube channel where I share a new video every Friday, (usually). 

Click HERE to go to my channel.

Click the thumbs up button and subscribe to my channel.  

There's tons of art how-to's on there. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. 

Is It Day 21 or Day 30

Not Sure How I Got Here

In This Challenge.

Day 21 I sat down to sketch out my final dranddaughter,

Kelsie on the 10" x 10" panel I selected for her painting.

Before I had it half way done,

it became painfully obvious,

I was very sick and there would be no painting that day,

or the next 10 days.

After going to my lung specialist,

he began treating me for the flu,

and 

pneumonia.

Many of you know, I have scleroderma

which has filled my lungs over the last 20 years with scar tissue, making it difficult to breathe on a good day.

Many of you also know,

I've been on a quest this whole year to improve my health.

I've worked out many days a week and I have improved my lung ability.  I guess that's a good thing,

because I used it all up during the 11 days I was sick.

But today, I headed to my studio to finish my Kelsie's painting.  I've never been a figure painter and I've been using this challenge to learn about it.

I've struggled every single day with every painting,

but I have learned a ton.

So on Day 30 I was able to paint Day 21,

Kelsie.

   Kelsie turns 21 in January.

I know, how can anyone as young and lovely as me,

have a 20 year old granddaughter.

She is a long tall drink of water,

coming in right around 5'11".

Her face here is too narrow,

(wish I would have noticed that before the point of no return).

She is a knock out and has a beautiful long neck and gorgeous full lips,  (The kind lots of the ladies pay big money for).

While this is far from perfect,

there are parts of it that look like her.

So, after not painting for 11 days,

I am no unhappy with it.  

Florida Bird Watching

Testing the Waters

I recently returned from a traveling marathon to Utah and Florida.

The two climates are nothing a like and yet similar.

They are similar in that they are very different than what I'm used to.

They both have some very interesting birds.

But one is very dry and the other tropical.

I haven't been in the studio in almost a month,

so I decided to work on something I've seen most recently and that is this Ibis

as he was walking carefully in this bird sanctuary.

Their beaks are so interesting, long and crooked at the end.   

Cool Running

7" x5" acrylic on a panel

$50 +$6 shipping  
 

This shows up brighter on my monitor than it actually is.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Scouting for an Original Gift

Scouting

is an original 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel

and it was part of my 30 paintings in 30 days in September.

The sun shines bright on this pelican as he swoops over the ocean

Scouting for a meal.

Wouldn't you just love to be at the beach right now,

well, at least in one small corner of your home or office

you can be.

$50 with free shipping only here on my blog.

Refreshment

Beaches

So, we all need refreshment from time to time.

I got mine at South Carolina for the last 11 days.

I didn't work everyday I was there,

but I'm sure you will be seeing more and more of it as I unwind.

Click HERE to see these on my website.

Maybe you need some refreshment too.

They are all unframed 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel.

$50 + $6 shipping each
 

Finding His Way

Finding His Way

I took some great pics at one of the places Jim checked out to go fishing.

They had some fabulous marshes and I'm sure you're going to be seeing more from that photo shoot.

I don't know how these fishermen figure their way in or out of these marshes.

But they do everyday, 

wind their way in and out of these marshes

out to the intercoastal waterway and then to the ocean.

Finding His Way

unframed 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel

$50 + $6 Shipping.

Shaded

Shaded

Everyone's seen them.

A beautiful beach, sand dunes, sea oats and beach umbrellas.

I love the look of beach umbrellas as they scatter up and down the shore.

This umbrella is off by itself, enjoying the sun,

giving shade to people almost as if it's standing guard.

Shaded

unframed 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel

$50 + $6 shipping

Let's Go For a Walk

Going For A Walk

Walking on the beach 

listening to the ocean as it washes up on the shore,

is just one of the most calming sounds.

People actually buy cd recordings of the ocean to help them sleep.

This painting is from a photo I took while in Myrtle Beach.

Can you hear the ocean as you walk this pathway.

   New Pathways

unframed 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel

$50 + $6 shipping  

Playing Catch Up

I'm Trying to Play Catch Up!

I've been without a blog for several weeks,

and I have so missed it even though I'm currently on vacation.

I couldn't post on my blog the last week of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 

days challenge, and I really missed it.

It's still not acting 100% better,

but for right now I can post,

so post I will.

First I'm going to show you the last week of the challenge

just so I can prove I did do it.

I did post through my website and on my daily paintworks,

but I wanted the record on here.

Day 23 Of the Purple

 Day 24 Water Lilies

 Day 25 Buds

Day 26 Single

Day 27 Contemplation

 Day 28 Stargazer

 Day 29 Gone Swimming

Day 30 Let The Sunshine In

So now you've seen them all,

And just for one last look back

Not all of them are on here,

because the template only has this many or many many more

so I left off the ones I did while I was at Jerry Yarnell's studio

because while I did paint them every day

they were just studies.

All of these are available on my website

www.finenatureartbyslgraves.com.

Thanks for checking it out and bearing with me during my absence.

Beaching

I Could Be A Beach Bum

I've been at the beach for a week

and I could really start to like this life.

This is a little garden just off the pool and before the beach.

So what's not to love here.

But this is off my balcony.

Oh, is this a view!

My blog has been down for several weeks,

so in a minute I'm going to hit the publish button and see what happens.

Hopefully, no more bX error messages.

My iPad is also fried,

but it is under warranty, 

so when I get back home it will be replaced.

Oh the technology troubles of a 21st century artist.

Day 20 Quiet Walk

Day 20 Quiet Walk

No beach trip would be complete without a 

quiet walk in the morning on a boardwalk.

Kids still sleeping,

husband not yet awake either,

and you have that perfect time of day,

before everything is awake,

before anyone can intrude on your thoughts,

before anyone needs you for anything.

Just you and your quiet thoughts

on a quiet walk.

  Quiet Walk

unframed 6" x 6" acrylic on a panel

$50 + $6 shipping