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| THE COLONY NEWS | APRIL 2023 | 29 | THE COLONY NEWS | APRIL 2023 | 29 Hello, watercolorists! February was a fun and inspiring time for our class. Taka Ritchie, our Master Watercolorist, taught our class, and we learned how to paint a beautiful thistle. Everyone, both beginners and accomplished painters, put their own spin on the painting in making it their very own. Taka also taught us how to mix colors from three primary paint colors. Thank you, Taka, you are always so educational, encouraging and fun! We had a visitor, Bob Straubinger, who is an award-winning Watercolorist from the Hemet of the Valley Art Association. Bob participates in the monthly judging contest at the Hemet of the Valley Art Gallery and has been very successful. He has offered to do a workshop for us in the upcoming months at a reduced rate of $20. More information will be forthcoming about this workshop once we secure a date. Bob is looking forward to this, and so are we. Our class is growing, and everyone is having a great time. We look forward to seeing all of you each month in the Annex on the last Thursday of the month from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Keep painting! Watercolor Classes By Sylvia Maxwell, 818-667-1766 David Gortner is our Artist for April. He is an accomplished watercolor artist and has lived in The Colony for three years after living in Silverton, Oregon for 11 years. He has been painting his whole life, following in the footsteps of his father. He studied Watercolor at the Academy of Art in Chicago, and has won numerous awards, one in particular being Best of Show at an Art Faire in Silverton. David enjoys painting trains, but he also paints seascapes and landscapes. This month he will be sharing some new trains he has painted. He has been participating in our Colony watercolor class and usually finishes two paintings while most of us get through one. He is an inspiration to all of us in the class. Another of his hobbies is playing the classics on violin and viola. He is always seeking others who enjoy playing stringed instruments in the classics. This is David's second year to show his artwork in our Lobby. This year is pretty special to him, as he will be celebrating his 90th birthday on April 14. Happy Birthday, David, from all of us! We are so pleased to have him in our circle of Colony artists. Thank you, David, for sharing your beautiful paintings and special talent with your community. Artist of the Month By Sylvia Maxwell, 818-667-1766