I made it to class today!  Afternoons are so much better for me.  I'm enjoying the new class with Alberto Cruz.  I like Bob Cassell, I like how he teaches, I do good work under him, but the class is just too noisy.  Today as I sat in class, the teacher did three quick demos...which I watched him do one.  I did learn something.  (The other two demos were basics.)  What really surprised me was the noise coming from Bob's class across the hall.  One lady never shuts up!  She has avoice that is like one decibel over normal, and it carries a lot!  Alberto Cruz's class is so much quieter, because they are mostly beginners and they concentrate.  I think I will continue with Alberto, as well as Diane Mannion.

Now, I will admit the best teacher of all has to be Diane...without a doubt.  She is thoroughly gifted artist (like they all are), but she motivates.  When I leave all the classes, I want to keep painting, but right now with Dad visiting, that's impossible.

Diane just has a way of keeping me working and I like that.  I know if I can just get up early enough for Diane's class (those 9 o'clock's, come early for me), I will paint more.  My goal is to sell artwork on the web.  I just need to get in a groove.  Diane is just the person to get me set up and encouraged to keep at it.  (Where she gets her energy is beyond me....gosh, I hope she doesn't say exercise...haha!)

The picture today show the progression I did in Alberto's class.  It is a dark photograph because I forgot to take the photo while in class, so I took it when I got home in the car, and it was dark.  I didn't want to use a flash because then it has glare.

I added more color to the palms, did some shadows on the beach, it's hard to see but I worked on the sky, making it darker in the upper right hand corner, and I put some light behind the mountains on the left side.  I also made the water darker in the bottom right hand corner.  It's hard to see, but the shrub behind the palm trees, I enhanced that too.  The second mountain from the right, I made different because Alberto told me there was too much of a repetitive pattern, and once I changed it I saw it.  I also raised the water line so the mountain on the left appears to be closer.  (Love that!)  What you can't see, in this lousy photo from my phone, is there are some light clouds that are light blue in color, it really popped the sky!  the other thing is, I put some purples in the upper left hand corner.  I added more colors in the mountains too.  I thought I would finish it today, but NOPE...

Still to do?  The shoreline needs improving, I need to punch up the cloud's white area to match where the sun is coming from...which is the upper right hand corner, I mean, the shadows on the mountains are on the left, so it has to be coming from there!  And I want to put a boat or two in the water.  But I have to wait.  The oil has the dry.

See you on Tuesday morning Diane!  And yes, I'll be late.  Haha!