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. 

A Time For Every Season - Motivation Monday

Turn! Turn! Turn!

 

A Blast From The Past

actually the 60's and The Byrds!

 Click HERE to listen to one of my all time favorite songs.

I'm a Baby Boomer,

so I am also a child of the 60's

and this was one of my favorite songs.

I had a 45 of it and just about wore it out on  my turn table

I played it so much.

I didn't realize until later it comes word for word,

right from the Old Testament of the Bible,

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

 Click HERE to get the scoop on this

It is also very true.

There is a season for everything

and there are seasons in our lives.

Childhood

Teenage years

Young Adulthood

Parenthood

Grand parenthood

Old age

 In each season are things that are generic to that particular time in our life.

Children want to be teenagers,

teenagers want to be adults,

    but each needs to be what they are when they are.

Once a teenager is a teenager,

it's too late to go back and be a child,

(even though sometimes they act like children)

As adults, we can't go back and be teenagers,

no matter how much 

"we can't adult today!"

 Click HERE for info on "Hog Wild"

In those seasons we should enjoy where we are

and realize that today might not be the right time to 

be able to do something, no matter how badly we want to.

Sometimes we make wrong or poor choices in a particular season

that changes choices we can make in later seasons.

Parents of young children, regardless of the age of the parents,

will find it might be the best they can do to work and take care of of those children.  Following a particular desire may or may not be possible at that time.  

But life has many seasons, and many choices in those seasons,

and we shouldn't feel depressed or discouraged if right now is not the best time to "go for it".

If there's something in the back of your mind you've always wanted to learn or to try, but now is not the optimum time,

start eating that elephant in a small way now,

and you will be surprised how much further down that road you will be when time, motivation or money is less of a problem.

Start reading about your subject,

listen to podcasts about it,

watch videos of it,

find experts in that field and watch them,

(without stalking)

learn what you can learn now

and if it's something you really have a passion for,

you will be surprised at the time you can find for it. 

I always new there was an artist inside of me,

but because my husband and I didn't really prepare well to provide for our family,

I always put those needs ahead of my wants.

But, I learned what I could in whatever moments I could find.

We had 4 teenagers at once,

so those years were full of craziness.

And just as the last child was getting ready to graduate from high school I was diagnosed with scleroderma and was on oxygen for 5 years.

Not part of my plan!

But, I still had that desire to learn to paint,

so even though I had lungs that looked like deflated balloons

and the stamina of an infant,

I began to learn to paint.

My learning curve resemble 

"The Long and Winding Road"

but after a year of painting for short amounts of time daily,

I began to see results.

If painting is something you'd like to learn,

I can help make your learning curve shorter and 

for you to see results in months and not years.

Click HERE to check out my online beginning painting class or course.  

And finally,

I give away a painting every month and I'd love for you to get in on the fun.

 

I'll give this away on the 31st of January!

 

I'll be drawing a name out of the followers of this blog tomorrow.

So you still have time to get your name in the virtual hat.

If you didn't sign up on that annoying pop up box,

scroll back up to the top right hand side and enter your email in the box on the right that says 

"Subscribe to my blog".

Next, you'll receive an email confirming you did actually sign up.

You must click on the link in that email to actually subscribe.

When I draw out the winner I'll send you an email with

"No Joke!  YOU Won! in the subject line.

You'll have 24 hours to get back to me with your actual address so I can send you the painting.

I move on and draw another name after 24 hours.

So, make sure you use an email address you actually use. 

 

And with that,

I'm done for today.

 

Thanks for hanging out with me today. 

 

Can You NOT Talk For 5 Days?

NO TALKING!

For 5 Whole Days!

In April I started having trouble with my voice.

It was raspy at first, then hoarse, and then almost non existent.  

I went to my family Dr., who tried something that didn't work,

I went to an ENT who tried something that didn't work,

and then I went to a voice specialist who found the problem.

I have (had) a lesion on my right vocal cord.

It's no bigger than the head of a pin,

but it kept me from being able to talk.

So Friday I had surgery to have the little bugger removed.

And while they were in there, they found a cyst that also was removed.

I'm not in pain but part of the recovery is 

no talking for 5 days. 

I'm a talker folks, so this is hard.

But I'm doing it!

The hardest part is in the morning when I first get up,

because I forget.

But by Tuesday I should be able to talk.

I will probably have to have several weeks of speech therapy because my vocal cords are pretty screwed up right now,

but hopefully I'll be able to talk more normally after that.

So now you know why I haven't made any more single subject classes or any free videos.

Looking forward to getting back at it in a few weeks.

So. . . you ask, how is this part of Motivation Monday.

Because, we CAN do hard things,

and not talking for 5 days is pretty daggone hard for me.

Doing HARD things is an every day deal for me,

because most of you may know,

I'm not the healthiest horse in the barn.

But, really, no talking for 5 days may be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do,

but my family loves it.  (hehe)

Forcing yourself to do something that's hard,

but that's good for you can be very hard,

but the pay off is great.

More on that later.

But I am still painting so here is my latest work.

  This is the background I did on an 8" x 8" panel.

I loved the colors and the looseness of it.

I flipped it to the other side when I painted on it, 

because I wanted the dark side on the bottom and the lightest part on the top right. 

Then I wanted white daisies on all that color,

and then I sort of covered it all up.

 

Oh well!

I still like it and I hope you do to,

because I'll be giving this one away for my August painting.

 

If you haven't signed up to receive my blog in your inbox,

what are you waiting on?

 

I give away a FREE painting every single month

and in September I'll be having my blogaversary

and I'll be giving away a lot of great art,

including one pretty good sized painting.

 

So scroll on back to the top and on the right hand side,

put your email in the box that says "Subscribe to My Blog".

 

And if you don't mind, please share this with your friends who you think might be interested in learning about art, how to stay motivated for anything with my Motivation Monday posts, and to be in the proverbial hat for a free painting.

 

 This bad boy is heading out to Gayle in Lebanon, Ohio on Monday.

 

I painted this at the boat dock in Carrollton, KY.

You could be my next winner,

but not if you don't get signed up.

 

Congratulations Gayle.

 

Click HERE to view my online beginning painting course and single subject class.