Riddle

Riddle: What runs without feet?

Give up?

Answer: watercolor paint

For four days last week I enjoyed a complete escape from my daily life (and the angst of getting used to a new dwelling). I took an art class at a local museum!

The class was six hours Tuesday through Friday, with instruction in watercolor and ink sketching. Taught by Bruce Edwards, a local artist who does gorgeous work, it was quite the inspiration (as well as cause for a lot of sighing on my part). Although I was not one of the more watercolor-adept students in the class, I learned a lot. If I only had a quarter of the brush control Bruce has, maybe I could paint what I see in my mind's eye. Unfortunately, what I want to paint is beyond my ability. What I actually paint often goes straight to the recycle bin.

But trying something so intensely over such a concentrated period of time is tremendously relaxing, despite how exhausting it is. That sounds like an oxymoronic statement, doesn't it? When I experience something like that art class, I can understand how people who furiously paddle through white water for days, or mountain climb "for fun,"claim they are refreshed. Getting away, even if it's all in the head, is a great vacation.