About mushrooms and artists 

Have you ever felt like a mushroom?  Not that I know what a mushroom 'feels' like, but from a mushrooms perspective, just about everything is up.  And mushrooms are in the dark, usually.

When I retired, survived a few crises, substitute taught (K-12), taught some senior level college classes for a few years.   Decided I wanted to learn a new skill, bought a Vespa, my husband and I downsized (three times).   During a Bible study with some of my old and new friends, discovered that one of my friends was a professional portrait oil painter.  She invited me to a class and, ergo, a new skill pursued. So I signed up for some additional painting classes.

Not taking myself too seriously, at least to begin with, I just had fun painting.  As I look back at some of my paintings from 'the beginning', I realize what a NOVICE I was (and still am, for that matter) and how much there was, and is, to learn.

And then someone bought a painting during a fund-raiser, another painting sold during another social function, friends and family began to like some of my paintings and some asked me to paint for them, and I realized I should probably learn how to do this better.  About this time my friend-painting teacher, moved away- to Texas.  So I bought lots of books on anatomy for artists, color theory, studied some of the paintings of really good painters, and painted....a lot.

And then a few of my paintings were juried into art shows at different places, Bryn Du in Granville, but I also did not make it into some other art venues.  Good balance for the ego!   Some of my art has been exhibited in the Art Gallery in Granville, Art@43023, at different times.   

As a mushroom-artist, coming out of the dark, and the only option directionally is 'UP'.  Cool...