Courage, Perseverance & a GIVEAWAY!!

cour·age

ˈkərij/

noun

the ability to do something that frightens one.

per·se·ver·ance

ˌpərsəˈvirəns/

noun

1. steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

I have decided that these are my words for 2015.

So far, they have been a good choice for me.

How, you ask?

These words have helped me in at least two areas in my life already this year: my art & being on the Board of my daughter's elementary school PTO.

Let's start with the PTO aspect of my daily life…

Springtime is just around the corner & while for some that means warmer weather, flowers & longer days, for those of us on the PTO Board, it's time to focus on our biggest school fundraiser: The Boot Scootin' Boogie. We are going into our 18th year this May & we are chalk full of new & exciting ideas! But introducing new ideas to an event entrenched with tradition takes courage & perseverance because some of these parents that have older children, have been coming to these events forever & some don't like change! But we are soldiering on & so far, the feedback is positive.

On top of the new ideas aspect, I am also the "leader" of a fabulous group of parents who have stepped up to represent their classrooms & gather items for their live auction baskets at our Boot Scoot. They too are showing courage & perseverance in asking for donations all over the place! Kudos to them! I have to be a strong voice for them & continue to keep a positive attitude in helping them achieve their goals. It's been quite fun & rewarding so far! If you're local & would like to come & support our school, it's going to be quite the shin-dig!!

Now on to the art in my life…

As you may have seen in my last post, I am gearing up for a Spring Enrichment art class at my daughter's school beginning in a couple of weeks. I absolutely love teaching my passion, but I still get nervous about it - even with kiddos! I think I worry that I won't teach the steps clearly enough & it'll be a disaster! But so far, in you year or so of teaching at school & my home, things have worked out splendidly! Just gotta have courage that the kids will be able to do all the steps!

Clips from the 3 canvases the kids will do in class

Then, last week, I was having lunch at the local bar & grill (The Spur of the Moment) & was lucky enough to be there when the owner was checking in. So, I mustered that courage & asked her about using the restaurant's large back room for a "Paint & Sip." I was shocked to find out that she has had several patrons asking for such an event! YAY!!! We are hopefully going to sit down in the next couple of weeks & plan it all out! I am so excited for this venture as it will benefit us both! My students will hopefully enjoy the project, while spending money at the bar & then maybe they will want to come to more such classes there or at my home studio. A win, win, I believe!

Lastly, I have put myself out there again - my art that is.

There are two shows going on simultaneously here in Castle Rock…

The first one opens tonight at the art guild's gallery - Art on The Edge & the theme is "My Favorite Things." Artists were asked to submit their favorite work for the exhibit & while I love the pieces I entered, they are not my favorites because the gallery has a stipulation that you cannot show a piece that has been seen in the area before, so I wasn't able to enter my big blue "Beyond" piece since it was in the National Arts Program exhibit at the library late last year. It's all good though! I was just happy to be accepted with these three pieces:

($$ denotes that this piece is for sale. If interested, please email me at rvoth@estreet.com)

House in the Field 18x24 $$

House on the Hill #1 12x24 $$

Pavot (Poppy) 12x36 $$

The other show is a regional juried show called "Romancing the Arts". I was over the moon for getting accepted to this one & even more thrilled with the curator's words of encouragement: 

"I am very pleased to let you know that your 3 pieces, "From Within," "Aspens in  Fall" and "La Cathedrale," have been accepted into the 11^th annual Romancing the Arts Exhibit. This is, by and large, a very creative and competitive show. I’ll be excited to see your work in person."

Wow! Who doesn't want to hear something like that?!! This show will hang at the library for the month of February with an opening reception on Feb. 2nd & I am so excited to see all the work side-by-side! If you are local, I hope that you will come either to the reception or stop into the

Phillip S. Miller Library at 100 S. Wilcox St, Castle Rock, CO & browse the exhibit.

Aspens in Fall 36x48 $$

La Cathedrale 18x24 $$

From Within 16x20 NFS

So, in between fundraising & painting, my 2015 words have turned into somewhat of a mantra: "have courage & perseverance & dreams your will come true!"

**GIVEAWAY**

Do you have words or a mantra that get you through tough times? If so, I would love to hear what they are!

Leave a comment here or on my Facebook Page & if you are a local, I will giveaway "admission" to my next class - either at The Spur of the Moment or in my home studio!! 
(Giveaway closes on 2/7/15)

Sharing the Fun!

Hello & Happy Tuesday to you all!

I just finished 3 projects for a 6 week class I am teaching at my daughter's elementary school starting next month! YAY! 

I can't wait to play with these kids! 

{See full images HERE!}

If you are interested in having your own class or party doing any of these projects (or others), please contact me at rvoth@estreet.com! 

I am always willing to work around your schedule 

for studio time!!

Have a fabulous day!!

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Simply put, I love teaching! Though when I start off with my students, I worry that I might miss a step or not explain something clearly. But in the end, I am always pleasantly surprised by the end results & the smiles on my students' faces! Read on & see what I mean...

my class sample

The start of the day had me a little worried as the snow started falling around lunchtime & the last time they forecasted a "trace of snow," we got 6 inches & blizzard-like conditions! So I was afraid I'd have to cancel class! But I have some brave & determined students! All but 3 of them made it! YAY!

After trying to find just the right size canvas board for us to work with, I decided to hit the local Home Depot! I had some lumber cut down into 12x20 lengths for us to work on instead!

Then I set about gathering scrapbook papers from my stash, paints, stamps & inks. I have my moms old Cricut machine & borrowed my sisters so that everyone wouldn't have to hand-cut all their circles! What a life saver those things are! Cooked up some yummy food & we were ready to go!

I didn't snap any photos during class, but of course I got everyone's finished work…

And one of some happy students…

Throughout the evening, several ladies said that this was their favorite class so far. How sweet is that?!

Oh & here's the one I worked on in class…

I just love sharing my passion with people & I love that the work seems to make them happy. Art can be totally therapeutic  That said, I have to share with you all that one of my students is going through a rough patch right now. She brought along some images & mantra's to put into her tree. She's treating it a lot like a vision board while she tries to move past this hard time. She said that my class came along at just the right time for her & I hope that her tree helps her "grow" in new directions!

It's things like this that make teaching my little classes every now & then so worthwhile!

If you are on Pinterest & would like to help me come up with new ideas for future classes, I would like to invite you to pin to my "Class Inspiration" board! Let me know if you'd like an invite!

I can't wait to get to work on the next class!!

Cheers!