Busy Week in the Garden and the Classroom

Bee sculpture at Morton Arboretum - May 2013 - ©CindyRippe

I've had such a busy week!  There have been gardens to visit, garden shopping to do, a convention to attend and finally the first full day of working in my own yard.  This oversized bee by David Rogers in front of the Visitor's Center at Morton Arboretum is the perfect picture for the day.  I stopped there on my way up to drop off my class sample in St. Charles for the Society of Decorative Painters annual convention.

The rest of the week I tweeked my class prep (I always end up thinking of more things to share with students at the last minute), worked in the yard, shopped for plants, and then taught the Intro to Botanical Illustration class on Saturday.

I had a wonderful group of students with skills that ranged from a complete beginner to a CDA (Certified Decorative Artist through SDP).  They did an amazing job completing my Daylily Study on Yupo paper with graphite.  Each was interpreted with their individual style and talent.  It was fun to share my techniques for drawing original designs and I hope that I've encouraged them to go forward to create their own original sketches.  By learning the basics of creating form and finding shapes in a objects (in this case a flower) you learn to draw what you SEE, NOT what you THINK you see.  I know that when I finally figured that out I became a better painter and designer in all mediums.  Great job class!  Thanks for joining me.

Well, my "To Do" list is long again this week and I can't wait to get started.  Here's to a fun, busy week for you all!


Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. Henry David Thoreau

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