Boy, am I lucky...

I think one of the better ways to accumulate and appreciate good equipment is to make it yourself. Last summer I built an easel that I use nearly everyday. It isn't perfect... but, neither am I. Besides, I know exactly what that easel is capable of doing, I am not afraid to change it to fit my needs and I never have to worry whether I have voided the manufacturers warranty. This year I made a wooden palette. I tried a design of my own invention which failed miserably. Then I wised up and emailed a guy who knows what he's doing and asked him. William Whitaker was generous enough to provide me with a design and instructions for this palette. Another student in one of my classes remarked that my palette looked like the painter's equivalent to a rockstar's guitar. Not only am I pleased with the result but, I am also very thankful that I have the opportunity to speak to artists that I admire, through the internet, and that when I have, they have all been so generous with me. I feel quite lucky to have opportunities like these.









I'm also fortunate enough to have found a group of fellow students who I admire and enjoy spending time with. This weekend I did my first ever landscape painting with some of those friends. NJM, Mike, Judy and I all went out to a cemetery Saturday and painted, sweated and sweated some more. It was pretty cool. I painted the front of a masoleum...I mention that because it might not be obvious ....I'm lucky, not especially skilled just yet :)