I finally did something today that I've been meaning to do, but haven't gotten around to it. I went to downtown Venice, which is a really cute, eclectic collection of stores and restaurants, and met a nun who teaches art. She has a studio in which she teaches children and adults alike and I've been wanting to do this for a long time. So this morning I learned different techniques of watercolor. I thought I would start with that since I have most of the supplies already. She also teaches acrylic, oils and clay. I'd like to learn oils and clay eventually, although I'm not sure I would be able to do the clay since my wrists are shot. But I would definitely like to learn to do oil painting.
She was not what I pictured a nun to be. First off, she wore a t-shirt and what we used to call petal-pushers, but I'm sure they call them something different today. She was kind of gruff and meandered about like she didn't know where to start. But after awhile, she showed me and I followed her as we went along, and I got to know her a bit better. She lives in a convent in Venice and she considers her studio as part of her ministry, along with spiritual guidance/counseling. She has all sorts of stuff in her studio for sale, most of which she did, but some of her students did also. She made a pregnant woman out of clay that stands a good foot or two tall and I would love to buy it, but it's $1,000. She paints a lot with watercolors, of the beach and water and foliage type of paintings. She's really quite good. I enjoyed it, since I was the only one she was teaching. Her teaching style is very relaxed and it's by example, which I need, even though I felt like I had palsy trying to hold the paintbrush correctly. A few other ladies came later and one of them worked on the pottery wheel and the other painted china - which is not something I would ever do - it looked too painstaking and putzy. The wheel looked fun, but again, I don't think my hands could tolerate that.
So I came home with a little painting I did which I copied from her. It's really nothing, but it is a start. Now I just have to motivate myself to do it. I don't know why that's so hard. What I also found out today was that there is no art supply store in Venice, which I find really strange. Sis. Maureen said that it is strange, seeing that there are so many artists in Venice (there is a big art center here). I need to buy a palette to mix my paints, so I'll probably order it online, as there is nothing local. I wish I had the means - I would open an art supply store here.
There's something magical when you create something. I can't explain it, but those of you who create, know what I mean. It's very satisfying, like eating a huge meal. Except in this case, you don't gain weight and you have something to show for your efforts. I wish I had my own space to do this, though. All I have right now is the dining room table and that is cluttered with dishes and glasses. I'm not used to living in such tight quarters, but this is not forever. I keep telling myself that.
My mom is doing much better. She's walking with the physical therapist and can even take a shower on her own, as long as one of us is right there beside her. My dad is ornery as usual. I don't know what gets under his skin, but sometimes he can be so mean. Just his look can pierce right through you. If my mom isn't pushing herself fast enough in the wheelchair and he wants to get by, he'll either push her with his walker or let the walker go and push her himself in a rush. They've been arguing a lot lately; I think my dad thinks that she should be "back to normal by now." He told the nurse that he "just wants his wife back," which means, he wants her to be able to do everything she used to do. It wouldn't kill him to learn how to be a little more self-sufficient. It's unbelievable how spoiled the men were in his day. My mom isn 't helping out a whole lot either. She is just rolling along slowly, doing her own thing. Tonight when I was preparing dinner, I told her, "Last time I looked, your hands aren't broken," because she was just sitting there and not helping. I said it teasing, but I think I got my point across too. Today at lunch, I made my father prepare his own yogurt and cottage cheese. What an ordeal. It's a matter of mixing the two ingredients together. I had to tell him how many seconds to put his bagel in the microwave on for. You'd think after all these years, he would take some initiative himself to learn this. After all, their microwave is an ancient machine that was probably bought in the 80's.
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