Success!

We had a great show on Friday. Jean Shadrach and Gail Flotre were busy as bees cleaning brushes, gently directing people how to get the affect they wanted and encouraging those a little resistant to try their hand at painting. Bamboo was drawn and redrawn with Jean patiently instructing people, " Hold the brush like there is an egg in your palm and a rock balanced on the top of your hand". Many people left holding their attempts at Sumi-e painting. Some were quite impressive. I encouraged one participant to consider getting mat and framing her creation. She loved to paint in school but as life was filled with children and work her art supplies got put away and eventually forgotten. The desire was still there and the skill was still there too. That was the goal of this show, to get people to have their own creative moment. Like the mother and two teenage daughters who insisted they had NO talent. Gail convinced them to try silk painting and the result was a beautiful plate with a perfectly shaped and blended pear and apple. Now I am realistic and don't expect our art visitors to quit their jobs and take up the label of starving artist. But I hope that for a brief moment on C street Friday night people forgot about bills and obligations and saw only the art, their art developing before their eyes.