HOOT - DAY TWO

Yesterday was the big day for us. We jumped out of bed (well not really jumped), pulled ourselves together and off we drove to the convention center. We were on a mission to BUY wood so upon arriving at the show, we went straight to the Unique Woods booth. They are based out of Arlington Texas and have some absolutely great pieces. I usually order online for wood from Unique and have to have all the pieces shipped but this time I drove to HOOT so I was set to BUY, BUY, BUY. And I did. I bought some great pieces of wood and several great patterns from Rosemary West. If you have not purchased from Unique Woods, I wood recommend their pieces. They are definitely very nice. You can find them on the internet at www.uniquewoods.com. After the wood purchase, we walked around the show room floor taking in all the goodies (supplies, paints, brushes, patterns, etc.). There is so much there to see so we took our time to take a looksee at everything. Of course, no trip to a convention would be complete without stopping by the Global Art Supply and Jansen Art booths. Again we spent time with Martha, David, Georgia, Blake, Paul and Cathy just chatting and laughing. And again we made fun of Paul........it is just so easy to make fun of Paul. We do not mean any disrespect towards Paul, we just have a great time with him joking and laughing. Tomorrow (Saturday) we will be sitting down with Paul for some painting instructions on stroke roses and leaves. Hopefully, I won't look like a beginner.........ha.

After spending time at the show floor talking to everyone, we were off to our class. The class for the day was a beautiful Stroke Rose and Tulip pattern by Maureen McNaughton. We just love taking Maureen's classes as she is a great artist and a great instructor. This was my third with Maureen. We feel that we learn so much from her classes. Every time we take a class there is so much to obsorb (at least I think so) but we are certainly willing to give it a good try. As a beginner, we were a little hesitent and very concerned about taking a "BIG BRUSH" class, but have been pleasantly surprised with each class, as we have been able to hold our own during the class. Maureen and her assistances have made us feel so welcome and are always right there to provide help when needed. We have a great time during the class talking, laughing, learning and painting. Now don't get me wrong, there are times in the class that we get a little flustered but for some reason it does not seem to last long. We have purchased extra pieces of all the class materials we completed to work on when we get home. Who knows maybe we will buy some more wood at Unique to paint................hmmmmm.....now that is an idea.

We have to get started to pull ourselves together so have to run for now. We have scheduled class with Paul this morning and are really looking for to that time so we do not want to be late. Ohhhhh, here is something different. Jami Foxx was staying at our hotel yesterday as he was performing last night in Columbus. Of course, we did not see him but he was there. Take care and happy painting........................................