On my easel today

Catalpa Blossoms on Webster Street

This was a fun exercise and is almost done. I bought an 8" X 10" piece of gessobord (which is a prepared board that has gesso on it already and is not canvas). I decided to work with my acrylic paints in a watercolor fashion.  First I did negative painting of the leaves in a light green (ultramarine blue plus yellow). When that dried, I painted the flowers. Then I darkened up the leaves and background. (I used sap green and yellow for that.) I am almost finished. I'm letting the paint dry, then I'll do a little more with contrasting values.

I looked in my tree book and this tree is listed as "Southern Catalpa".  I'm not sure what it's doing in New Hampshire, but it has lovely leaves and flowers.  I took a photo, then cropped it and focused in on the blossoms.

I have paintings up in two exhibits this month in Manchester and Bedford (NH). My paintings are part of a group exhibit at City Hall Gallery (first floor hallways at City Hall).  We have ten artists/photographers exhibiting from my group Friends of Art Manchester.  The artwork is in all different styles, both representational and abstract.

I also have some of my paintings on exhibit at the Bedford (NH) Library, lower level.  That is part of a group exhibit too, from Manchester Artists Association.

Spring is very slow getting here this year. I have been out on my bike twice now.  I'm really enjoying learning how to ride again and the mountain bike is more fun than the city bike since I like being in the woods.  I bought a used bike, then decided to turn it in for a new one. Waiting for better weather to try it out.  Photo below taken on the rail trail by Lake Massabesic (Auburn/Manchester, NH).  That was my first ride. I fell in the mud, did not get hurt, and was happy to be out on the trail.

What Is Social Entrepreneurial Student Leadership?

On Wednesday, February 11th, I had the distinct pleasure of volunteering for the SESL high school kick-off held in Concord at the Grappone Center. This is the fourth year of this organization's existence co-founded by Howard Brodsky CEO and Chairman of CCA Global Partners and Elizabeth Foy. Along with nineteen other business leaders who volunteered and over 100 students from 15 high schools around the state, an atmosphere of impressive innovation allowed the students to consider what goals their teams could set for community projects which also enable them to learn entrepreneurial and leaderships skills in the process of achieving these goals.

Some of the goals spoken were: a fund raising program to benefit Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, developing a program to better prepare teachers to work with today's modern students, global awareness, organizing a recycling program, benefiting a homeless shelter, another program to benefit the elderly in nursing homes, preparing monthly charity food nights at a homeless shelter and on and on.

You can follow the progress of these wonderful students and observe how they achieve their goals and follow the group's events by bookmarking and logging onto: http://www.seslchallenge.org/.