48 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2020
This is the perspective of the artist of the
month, Mike Zehner: The photo that I used as
reference for this painting pulled me into the
stone cottage's charm, with the old worn down
moss-covered steps and variety of flower pots
lining the way. In exploring this building's
history, I learned that the cottages were used
by European weavers to produce cloth over
200 years ago. The lower floor was where the
weavers lived and the loom shop was on the
top floor.
For the past several years, painting with
watercolors had been my medium of choice.
Having witnessed many of my classmates,
including my wife, paint with acrylics, I
decided to give it a try. After all, my wife's
large inventory of acrylics were readily
available for my use. I quickly realized the
benefit of working with acrylics vs. watercolor
paints. I saw how easy it is to paint over an
area, without any problem, something you
definitely can't do with watercolor! I now love
this medium!
Due to the pandemic, The Mixed Media
Art Classes have had to be canceled along
with our other classes, clubs and committees.
However our teacher, Rob Kelman, came up
with a creative way to keep our classes going,
virtually. We text him what we're working on
and Rob calls us with advice. While working
on "Weavers Cottage," my third ever acrylic
painting, I struggled with its perspective in
one area and was getting frustrated. A quick
text to Rob and a timely call back to me, Rob
pinpointed the problem and suggested how to
rectify it. Perfect! Just what I needed. I am
now pleased with the finished painting.
Mixed
Media
Arts
Classes are normally Mondays 10 am to 12
noon and/or Wednesdays 6 to 8 pm. Currently
we are holding outdoor classes at The Courts
at our regular times, subject to change.
Masks are required and social distancing is
implemented. There is a $5 fee per person
per session. Seating limited so please call
first. For more information, call Rob Kelman
at (951) 992-9156. ~ Rob Kelman
Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.