The painting thing

 My AAUW group did one of those "painting class evening" things. This wasn't as goofy and fancy as some - I guess at some they feed you and have wine but this place doesn't do that. 

I admit I was slightly nervous - I am really NOT artistic, despite the fact that I knit and sew (I see those as more technical things, given that I tend to follow patterns). And my previous forays into trying drawing were unsuccessful. 

But okay, I decided to play along. Everyone gets a canvas (the fee for the evening is $35 to cover the supplies and the teacher) and acrylic paints in some basic colors (brown, yellow, cobalt blue, white, red) and you mix what you need from those. 

The instructor basically went step by step. The first part - the sky and landscape background went well. I was actually pretty proud of my sky - I went with more pink and none of the orange/red that the people doing sunsets were doing. (I figure mine is a later evening, or maybe a very early morning). 

Then we put in some blue and green stippling to mimic flowers and vegetation. That was where I started to get nervous because mine looked different (brighter colors; I did not mix brown into mine like she did) than the instructor was using and I made a comment (I don't think anyone heard) that "I went too Fauvist."

So I was already kind of up in my head when it was time to paint the main bluebonnet and then I couldn't make it look right to me. (It doesn't help that I am a botanist and wanted it to be technically correct [the best kind of correct] and I couldn't make my hands do what my brain was saying they needed to do)

Some of the other people did really well, too. A couple people went more impressionistic than I did.

I dunno. I did sign it, because if nothing else someday my heirs will then know I did it and didn't get suckered into buying it. 

I guess it's not....terrible. I doubt I will frame it unless I happen to find the right sized one really cheap at a yard sale, but I guess I'll put it up if I can find a place.