The nicest notes came last week from a group of gals from North Carolina who came to Rancho La Zaca to visit and to paint. I had long wanted to organize a workshop here for my awesome Aunt Gray and her painting buddies. And by dern we finally got around to it. Had a wonderful time, but the point is this: If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, do it.

Acclaimed plein air painter Elizabeth Tolley was recommended to me by one of her peers and another wonderful painter and friend, Camille Dellar. I called Libby, as she’s known, and she was willing to sign on as our instructor for four days. Rather a leap on both our parts as we were total strangers.

I’ve wanted to paint since I’ve been coming to this here valley, despite my limited skills. Here’s another point. If there is something you really want to do, even though you think it has no “value” except that it makes you happy –hey–that’s a good enough reason. It’s a song in your heart that needs to be sung. It’s something you’re here to do. Don’t argue.

I wish I’d learned that a long time ago.

His Grace kept asking me, “When do the biddies get here?” I said you better quit callin’ ’em biddies because Rockettes is more like it.

Does this look like a biddie to you?

HG stood corrected. And that was before she put on her yoga outfit.

Painting in general and a workshop in particular were things I’d wanted to do but that were so entirely optional (or were they?) that they could have easily slipped away. I’m so glad they didn’t.

It set me to thinking about goals and dreams and what gets in the way of us doing them. Usually the answer is us.

Here is Nancy’s painting:

And Laura’s:

Blair’s work in progress:

I think this is Nancy again. Nancy doesn’t mess around.

Me. (I mess around a lot)

Aunt Gray and I were the only ones working in watercolor, but I didn’t get a picture of the beautiful flowers she painted. Dang.

We also got refreshers on composition and the importance of working that out ahead of time in a sketch. Here’s a scene I like:

And here’s the sketch. There is a lesson here about biting off more than you can chew… Note to self…

I haven’t gotten around to painting this yet, but if I take my own advice, I will.