Hi there , 

I am a former basketball fan, well, ok, still am, if it's for college, and in particular, the team is orange and blue, emphasis on Orange🍊, with a capital O. I've been reconnecting with my alma mater's basketball team on some trips where we have access to sports and have enjoyed seeing the Orange beat some other teams, particularly some NC teams. Shhhhh! I can't help it - when you spend 3 years of college playing sax for the basketball pep band, the interest kind of sticks, and it helps there's hope on the horizon for my team as they adjust to a new coach. March is about to get a bit more exciting.

Well, that March Madness aside, I'm sending you a quick update for what's coming around the corner in my Art Court, and a FINAL CALL for students for this weekend's Serene Strokes: Virtual Watercolor Class. In addition to my own classes, I'm pleased to announce I'm officially a faculty member of the Durham Arts Council, beginning this summer with several camps and classes in the works. I'm still at my daily 10-minute sketches, and have started a New Painting. More on all of this below. 

Daily may not be the right word for my sketches, intermittent is probably closer to reality. I've been working through some serious sinus issues and am on another antibiotic hoping to get some relief. Add a teenager and high school to the mix - where do I begin? My big guy (who many of you knew as a baby) is now driving with his learner's permit, he just finished his first mountain bike race of the season, and baseball season has started for both boys! Somewhere in the past month I took a moment with my oldest to visit the NCMA and I got to spend a day reconnecting with a West Orange friend at Quilt Con! I'll put together a blog about this soon - too much in this newsletter already. 

This may explain my social media inconsistency, and reduction in daily sketches. That's why subscribing to this newsletter is so important - you won't miss anything. Enjoy the work below and I hope you'll find something that speaks to you. Thanks for joining me in my Art Court this month!  

ABOUT: Join Jennie for a two-day series of watercolor classes aimed at getting you familiar with the basics of your materials and techniques so you are confident to dive into more complex painting, or brush up. The two-hour sessions will be dominated by demonstrations touching on various brushes, paints, paper, how to load your brush, mark making, wet on wet vs. wet on dry approaches, value scales, monochrome painting, and making a color wheel with space for discussions and Q & As, followed by an optional studio hour to practice and get one-on-one help as you work. In addition to the time during the Zoom, you can purchase access to rewatch the Zooms for a full month, beyond the 48 hours included in the price. 

LOCATION: 

Zoom from your studio or workplace of choice

DATES: 

Sunday, March 10 & 17th

1 -3pm, with optional studio time from 3 - 4pm (EST)

FEE:

Zoom Class Only: 

$90 (includes 4 hours of demonstrations, explanations, and Q & As, & 48 hours to replay the class)*

Optional Add ons:

• Live Studio Support from 3 - 4pm ($25)
• 30 Days Access to Video Replay ($25)
• One - on - One Coaching ($90) arranged between you and Jennie

SUPPLIES:

Bring your own supplies - a variety of watercolor brushes, set of watercolors with primary colors, and a pad of watercolor paper. A detailed list will be sent out after enrolling.

DEADLINE TO ENROLL: Thursday, 3/7, 11:59pm (EST)

Send me your questions, or go ahead and . . . 

*Sliding Scale is available for a minimum payment of $40 for the 4 hour demos, and includes the extra live studio time for each class. Should you need additional support, please contact Jennie.

OTHER ART LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Taking the Outdoors In: A Journey from Watercolor to Oil 

​Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ
DATES: 
June 21 - 24, 2024

AGES: Adults

Cultural Art Camps

​Durham Arts Council, Durham, NC
DATES: 
July 8 – 19 (2 weeks): Fabulous Finland*

July 29 – August 2 (1 week): Festive Philippines*

August 5 – 16 (2 weeks): Magnificent Mexico*

August 19 - 23: The 1980s (ages 5 - 12)

AGES: *7 - 12

SOME OF THE PROCESS: NEW ART  

This painting is on a 4' x 2' cradled wood panel. I began by staining the gessoed surface with an orange acrylic that I wiped away to smooth and diminish the intensity. Then I played with various tea package placements before settling on where to transfer them. Supplies are Golden Soft Gel (gloss) medium and a Hake brush. I'm working from a sketch I developed last year, inspired by photos taken at Carolina North Forest, in Chapel Hill where I've run and hiked. The chairs will be dropping into the clearing, suspended by tethers. I considered adding more chairs, but became frozen with indecision. I moved on without them, sticking to the original plan. Room for different paintings in the future.

SKETCHBOOK PEEK  

Day 37- Brumley Labyrinth, Chapel Hill, NC

Day 35 and 36, Watercolor to Healing Sounds

Day 41, Watercolor, Stony Creek Bluff Trail & Cemetery Connector at Brumley North

I'm still at it, and actually have gotten to 44 days of sketching. Considering I began on 1/2, this is a 67% rate of consistency. I'd like it to be better, but I'm going to say this is enough right now. I'm going to continue to build the practice, and see what evolves. I'm noticing some connections of subject matter and visual elements that are consistent, despite whether realistic or abstract depictions. Do you see them? I'd love to know what you're noticing. It's always helpful for another eye, one that isn't so connected. Send me an email if you're inclined! 

Did you love this newsletter? 

I would be overjoyed if you sent it to someone whom might appreciate my art in their life.

Day 44, Watercolor, White Lake, NC, Monochrome Sketch

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