a little painting project...

... distracted me for several hours this morning. I had taken paints and a little 8x8 canvas along on the mercy mission to south GA, but it did not even get out of my car. And there was a definite window for getting the project finished. I got the canvas from someone who had asked members of the Artist's Guild to paint the little canvas for selling as a fund-raiser. Part of the big once-a-year event the Botanical Gardens puts on every October.

Botanical Gardens invites (likely paying an exorbitant fee) a well known personality: author of note, floral designer with cachet, gardening person who has lots of experience in high-profile landscaping, to appear as the featured speaker at a luncheon. Advertising to garden clubbers and country club-types, locals who willingly pay to hear as they share anecdotes, talk about their work, lives, or demonstrate some remarkable gardening-related skill.

For the past couple of years, I've been a volunteer, helping with a silent auction, and serving as a cashier for sales of table centerpieces and auction items. So when I discovered the artists from the guild have been painting little canvas, donating their skills to help with the fundraiser, I wanted some of that. The Gardens provides the 8x8 canvas, gives them to anyone who wants to paint, and then sells them for (I think) $50 each. You can pay extra for a frame if you want.

I wanted to paint, even though I have not done any painting (other than faces at carnivals) since I finished at CSU. I actually used the craft/acrylic paints in little bottles (like you can find at craft stores) to paint my canvas. Wishing I had started sooner and allowed more time, so I would have been better pleased with the end product. But feeling the pressure to get it done, I spent a couple of hours this morning on it, and delivered it to the admin. assistant at the Botanical Gardens to get it out of my life. I'm not particularly impressed with the results, which makes me know that I need to be willing to invest more time in the future.