OUR ACCOMODATIONS AT SNOW FARM.....

The four dorm buildings were labeled L. I. F. and E. We were assigned to room A in building E, and this was the sign on our door (with apologies to all Canadians)!

The dorm had two bathrooms, male and female. I love this sign! Our bathroom had two shower stalls, two toilet stalls, and a counter with three sinks. There never seemed to be a crowd and it all work quite smoothly.

This was our bedroom, sparse but everything needed was close at hand.

This was our "dresser".......

...and this was our closet.

It is amazing how little you need to be comfortable.....

THE PEOPLE AT SNOW FARM....

Here you can see the participants enjoying lunch between classes. That would be Roy in front chatting up the ladies (grin). The back row in this photograph includes the three ladies from Canada. Seated in front of them is the kiln glass instructor and that bearded wonder is the woodworking instructor. (more about him later)

Here you will see again the kiln glass instructor and a lovely gentleman from Brooklyn.

After the lunch and dinner meals many of us returned outside to sit on the patio and talk about the day's activities.

And of course, Roy and I had the most wonderful time!

OUR FIRST "ROAD SCHOLAR" ADVENTURE!

Roy and I have just returned from a week long study program at Snow Farm in Williamsburg MA!

This was our dormitory (of which there were four) that had bedrooms on both sides with an open air covered boardwalk in the middle. You have to go out into the hall to get to the shared bathrooms.This is the building that has the drawing studio.

The Road Scholar Program is the new name for what was formerly known as the Elder Hostel Program, Adventures in Lifelong Learning. The Road Scholar Program is worldwide and offers learning opportunities for people from age 50 upward. The programs are designed for those who share common interests and a love of learning new things. There were 35 participants in the programs last week. Roy was enrolled in a Kiln Glass course and I enrolled in a Figure and Portraits drawing course. The entire week was just wonderful! We met people from all over the country and Roy has three new best friends from Canada.

We met a sweet older gentleman from Brooklyn who was so impressed with the piece of artwork I had brought with me, ("Bridget".) He felt compelled to give me advice by telling me to not take ANY art courses and to not let ANYONE tell me how to do my art. He was drawn to the primitive nature of my work, found it refreshing and light and honest, etc. So, this guy who seems to know a LOT about the art world, was really good for MY ego!

Because the entire experience was so intense, and we did so many things, I will put up several posts to cover the week. This one will include photographs of Snow Farm, the landscape and the buildings where all this wonderful creating took place. In addition to our courses, there were also classes going on in Felting, Woodworking, Welding, and Glass Bead Making.

For more information on this fabulous program, you can check out their web site at http://www.roadscholar.org/. There is also a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rsadventures.

This is the main building with a large central meeting room and a very long dining room.

Tomorrow I will share with you some interior photographs of the studios. Right now I am trying to get all the laundry done! Stay tuned!

JUST TRY TO KEEP FROM SMILIN' ....

MOTHER'S BARN QUILT.....

This is the "barn quilt" Mother has been working on this summer. In actuality, she does not have a barn. Her quilt is part of the detached garage. In this part of the country, you can find quilt designs painted on barns and various outbuildings. This quilt is not "painted" on the garage though. It is made up of 20 distinct pieces of painted wood, 12 inches square. They are secured to the wall and surrounded by a red frame "border".

In the morning the sunshine illuminates it and the colors glow. At night, the exterior light picks up the lighter colors and they shine.

Well done Mother! It was a vision you had and it came together with the help of family members. We are all proud of it!

THE OTHER SIDE OF MY PAINT BOX !

I sealed this with a satin finish polyurethane which then caused a glare. Note to self: always photograph before putting down the sealer.

This lady has short wispy brown hair and a suggestion of a hat. Love her!

STATE OF THE STUDIO ,,,,

A little over a year ago we moved into our new home and I set up my studio. I have the entire lower level in which to create (along with a bathroom, laundry room and utility room). As I looked around yesterday I saw that it is no longer neat and tidy...it has become a work place! In all of it's messiness, I share with you the "state of the studio", and with no apologies. These are the steps leading down into my place of bliss.

Here are the shelves that hold MOST of my paints...

Under my main work table (which is up on paint cans so I don't get back pain from standing and painting) you can see tubs of fabric and other collage supplies.

The table above is holding the current fabric pieces for the children's pillow cases I am making for our hospital.

This is my lounge area where I can read or stitch or watch TV. It is also a sofa bed for company if the guest room is taken.

This wall shows some of the portraiture I have been doing the past few months. I have now run out of room and I guess will have to start stacking them against the walls.

Here is the collection of primitive dolls I made several years ago.

This is the "wall-o-dolls " in the lounge area.

A series of crosses that are looking for wall space also!

Most of these are art books and copies of the magazines where my work has been published.

My primary work table.....(with the ever present coffee mug).

Close up of the work table....the pallets are plastic lids from ice cream buckets. Yeah, we eat a LOT of ice cream!

Ice cream buckets of broken tile waiting for the next mosaic project (s). Seriously, did we really eat that much ice cream? How embarrassing......

This is the back of a jacket I am making and really need to get back to. I painted the flowers on the back. In the background is the laundry room where you can see a rug I wove from t-shirt strips.

So there you have the state of the studio. It works for me and is big enough to accommodate several projects at the same time.

Tell me about your studio? Or even about the kitchen table you use to create on!

MY NEW PAINT BOX......

And now it is really "my" new paint box!