HOME FROM HOOT!
(Heart Of Ohio Tole Painters Convention)
What a wonderfully creative week I've just had at my first ever HOOT Convention!
Barb & Sue were talking about it one day in class and decided to go and then asked I wanted to tag along and then Jenny got on board and we all decided to road trip to Ohio!
I got to ride up with Barb & Sue and drove back with Jenny! It took us 12 hours to get there and like it always seem to be - took us less time to get home - 11 hours - not that I was speeding or anything!
It was great meeting up with our friends Donna & Lori too as well as making new friends and meeting people I'm friends with on FB but had never met before.
The Heart of Ohio Tole Painters put this convention on every year and I just have to say WOW!!! what an incredible job they do! This was their 32nd HOOT Convention and the theme was "You "TOUCAN" Paint"! Always felt very welcomed and cared for and people smiled, asked how you were and wanted to know where you were from ~ and just all around the best experience!!
These photos are in no way in any order and in fact some I've lifted from some friends so that I could share them with you.
Barb & Sue ~ Jenny spent the day with a friend from Ohio so Barb, Sue and I went walking around downtown Columbus. Of course we had to hit the art store first!
Thought this was too cool not to take a picture of.
Ros Stallcup, Susan Scheewe Brown, & Donna Dewberry
becoming "blood sisters"
Stan Brown snuck in this one! Such a sweet man!
Lori, Donna, Sue and Jenny (in front)
Jenny & Donna
Donna & I painting memory boxes ( a wonderful service the HOOT ladies provide)
Barb, Sue and Me (Jenny was taking the pictures)
we were goofy and tired after a very long day travelling!
Me, Jenny & Barb
Carol Craig came to see us ~ always great to see you Carol!!
Donna did make and takes at the Martin F. Weber booth. I was able to help Donna out (in between my classes) with some amazing students learning how to paint with wOils ~ many for the first time!
Donna & Denis Kapp (owner of Martin F. Weber ~ he painted that during the make n take - amazing huh)!
Priscilla Hauser, Donna Dewberry & Dawn K.
Got to have lunch with Dawn and had the best time! Thanks again Dawn!
My goal when picking classes was to pick things that would expand my artistic horizons. I think I super succeeded on that level! LOVED every class I took and learned how to create using different mediums!
Took this amazing colored pencil class with Laurie MacKenzie and WOW ~ I absolutely LOVED it! I will never look at another colored pencil the same way again!
I took a watercolor class with Fran Mittelstet and again LOVED it! I had never done traditional watercolor and really wanted to learn! Plus we used ink and oil based Enamels for the background which was another very cool technique that I'm sure I will incorporate into my artwork on many different levels.
This landscape class i took from Trudy Beard - just loved her class in February at Vegas Paints when we painted with wOils and I was excited to take this acrylic class with her! Loved the "softness" of the painting and the sheep - TOO CUTE!
The shadows and hollyhocks and details on the house that are oh so small but wow - what an impact they made! LOVED this class!
My favorite of the week had to be this Hidden Pond landscape that I took with Dorothy Dent. The very first oil painting I ever did was a Dorothy Dent design (Iris) and I was really looking forward to learning some cool tips and tricks in this class! Far exceeded my expectations and I LOVED everything about this class and Dorothy! Will take a lot of these tips and incorporate them into my painting ~ probably the most important one is to loosen up and not be so tight with my strokes.
I took a class with Bill Bayer and well in transport home the painting got a bit damaged so I have some repairs to make to it and will post it another time. Loved his class as well. FUNNY as ever and a great teacher. It was awesome too that this particular gate was in England (his son was stationed there) and I have been to this garden where it was taken. He has a couple of classes in Vegas next year at Vegas Paints!
Our oldest survived the first week at college and welll....I was able to only text and call him once to see how he was! Trying to let him figure things out and enjoy his first year away with his mommy checking up on him! I was sad to be gone on my hubby's birthday but his sons took really good care of him while I was away! lol
Have lots of classes coming up these next two weeks so will have lots of posts!! Make sure to check back for more!
Have a great week!
Sandy
