My Very First Art Teacher

I had just moved to a new town, and Mrs. Freeman was my 3rd and 4th grade teacher. She taught us art, like no other teacher before or since. She would bring in her own supplies and we'd use what we had. Then she'd show us how to watercolor, Bob Ross style, her paper taped to the board. We'd watch as she'd quickly demonstrate, showing us all the tricks of the trade, then would sit down and read to us as we created away.
Before her, we'd only ever been allowed crayons and markers and the like. And left on our own to figure out proportions and color techniques. She was the first to teach us the color wheel. And dimensions. And landscapes and flora.
Since, art is for the art classes. I would love to be sitting in a math class someday, and the teacher pass out watercolor paper and water and brushes and squirt out a little palette for everyone. Or sit in an art class and the teacher show us the technique and leave us to be, maybe reading Maniac Maggee while we painted away. No, it's more like "here's the assignment, now go do your own thing."

Thursday, I was working, and ended up framing one of her pieces. It brought an amazing amount of nostalgia, laying glass over the beautiful watercolored lilies.
I often think about her when I reflect on my journey here.

http://www.pnwwatercolors.com/index.html

Low and behold, this weekend while at the flower show, she had her own booth. It was that shy "Mrs. Freeman! Do you remember me?" And the "How could I forget a student like you?" And the excitment as I told her I was an artist and a horticulturist, studying in Vancouver, where she lives. She was happy. And so was I.

Oh Coraline

In 3D!

So magic

Photo shop is so magic! I just learned how to recapture stuff from shadows.
Now I'm freaked out I'll be retouching a picture and find something evil in the shadows.





Some stuff is just too blurry. But still, this is cool!