i miss you. . .

i am back after such an amazing weekend at the Artnest retreat. today is the first day i have been able to sit down at the computer. i am still unpacking and have so much on my mind. trying to work through all the feelings that came after spending months with candice planning the retreat and then four days spent so close together with each of the artists that attended.
monday i lurked around on the computer reading a few emails and checking misty's site. i wanted her to post something that would put into words and pictures the experience we all shared. i wanted to see the faces of the women who have opened my heart and cry over the emptiness i feel now that they are all home and going on with their lives.
i miss you. . .




misty taught our first class on thursday. it was such an amazing class! i loved watching how free she is with her art materials. at one point she blew out some white ink from a gel pen onto her painting and it splotched out a big blob. i thought oh know, its ruined. she swiped it around with a rag here and there and it was lovely. here she is with rebecca and diana showing us how to create a background. notice her table still looks quite clean. after she really got working there was paint everywhere.


this face is the beginning of her class piece that she used to demonstrate working with transfers and paint to begin your figure. after sketching and adding some paint you can see how the layers build.


at the end of the day we set out our paintings under the deck and talked about each one. i actually really liked the backdrop of the concrete behind the gorgeous colors.

angel, laurie and diana

lisa on the left, elise the two on the right

rebecca and sherri

my two pieces. i love how the plain background turned out. i made three more small pieces after class and realized how much i like working small. the large size was difficult for me to organize. i wanted to see how if i could do a 'man piece' just for fun and i love how it turned out. i was just playing with the light and dark on the face.



deb and her two pieces.

candice and misty

dinner that evening was out on the deck just at dusk. it takes you by surprise how quickly it cools off. i had to run in for a blanket before dinner was over. several deer came out to graze together and we watched them after dinner.
strawberry cheesecake was served in by the fire so we could warm up.

our group photos were taken with a timer and tripod so it was a bit tricky, but i am so happy i have some pictures of us all.