Famous Artists Week 2

My happy little students are learning so much! Yesterday we painted Monet Impressionist paintings. Most children have not worked on a very large piece of paper and dabbing the paint all over was a great experience. We also made lily pads out of colored clay to go on our smaller Monet water paintings. Today we had so much fun studying Andy Warhol, dressing up as hippies, creating our own printing plates and making prints. The children came up with so many ways to layer their prints and create prints with a variety of colors. That's creative thinking in action - give people the knowledge, skills, materials and guidance and then let them fly!

A Treat for the Senses

Saturday Cass and Herb took me to the Denver Botanic Gardens. This place is incredibly relaxing and renewing and just makes me so happy to stroll through. I love that the gardens are diverse and distinctive - I especially enjoy the Monet Pond and the Japanese Garden. Most everything is free flowing, not perfectly manicured, and the scents are intoxicating. Plus, in addition to the beautiful gardens themselves, there are currently 20 monumental Henry Moore sculptures being exhibited throughout the gardens and wow are they incredible!

After the Gardens, my wonderful cousins took me out to a pre-birthday dinner at a cool new restaurant called Root Down. This is possibly the most delicious meal I have ever had. You can tell when a true chef is at the helm. We shared a really great bottle of wine and three "small" plates, which did not look that small to me and tasted truly amazing. I just wanted the flavors to stay in my mouth forever. We topped it off with coffee and the mandatory chocolate birthday dessert complete with candle!

Biking in Boulder

Thursday I spent the afternoon in Boulder, about 45 minutes northwest of Denver. After a delicious lunch of tofu yellow curry on funky, zen, hippie Pearl Street, I biked a few blocks down to the Boulder Creek Trail. This is the most beautiful bike trail I have ever seen. It runs along a gorgeous, babbling creek and the trees and greenways are magnificent. The trail runs about 5 miles through the center of town. I stopped many times along the path not only to take photos but also to admire the beauty and take in the casual and fun ambiance that is Boulder.

I would have biked into the evening but I was due in Westminster for yummy homemade pizza topped with fragrant backyard herbs at Cindy and Dennis's house. I met their lovely 14 year old daughter Tasha, and we all had a very pleasant time together. Thanks guys!

So Great Being with Cass and Herb

Tuesday I spent most of the day with my wonderful cousin Cass who lives in Castle Rock, a little less than an hour south of Denver. Her mahjong group kicked my ass, but it was fun to play anyway! Afterwards we took a nice hike in her scenic, hilly neighborhood. Cass and her husband Herb and I had dinner on their porch and as always, there was tasty wine and interesting conversation. What a relaxing day!

I've been eating vegetarian since I got here, and I feel great! Now my version includes fish and seafood, which is not true Colorado vegetarianism, but it is a big step for me. With Whole Foods just down the block and several other specialty organic stores as well as the weekend farmer's market close by, it is easy to find tasty, fresh food anytime. Most restaurants offer a large selection of vegetarian choices as well. Coloradoans are a healthy and fit bunch!

Famous Artists Class

Every weekday morning this week and next I am teaching nine children about famous artists. I developed a class where each day we become the artist of the day through drama, art history and hands-on projects. We are having a super time! We have painted the blue and red periods of Pablo Picasso, sculpted negative and positive spaces like Henry Moore and created some pretty crazy surrealism like Salvador Dali.

We also worked on stained glass windows like Marc Chagall, in our case made from plexiglass and tissue paper, and painted with thick, swirly paint like Vincent Van Gogh. The kids are fascinated with the lives of the artists and I try to put some interesting stories in so they will remember it better. You can't beat Van Gogh cutting off his ear for dramatics!

Gays Just Wanna Have Fun

Lots of excitement in my neighborhood this morning because today is PrideFest! The annual Gay Pride Parade sashayed down Colfax and both the crowd and the parade were wild! Some people wore not a whole lot and some should have worn much more. In the parade there were lots of shirtless guys, a few shirtless girls, drag queens, black leather outfits, rainbow accessories (you just don't want to know where some people put their rainbows), motorcycles, classic cars, some political stuff, music ("it's fun to stay at the YMCA"), dancing, roller blading, and lotsa hugging and kissing. People were throwing beads, candy and all kinds of stuff - it was a blast! Gays know how to have fun!

This evening my old friends Cindy and Dennis Sanger came over for dinner. I haven't seen them since graduating Wash U in 1985. Cindy and I were art majors together and we also lived on the same street. Dennis was an engineering major and we knew a lot of the same people at school since I dated a few geeks, I mean, engineers. Amazingly they look pretty much the same as 25 years ago - must be the Colorado air! We had a lovely time catching up and chatting about life. I am happy to have two more friends in Denver.

Two Weeks Already!

Another week, another class gone by so very quickly! The past few days we painted fantastic still lifes, worked with thick and thin paint, sponge painted and much more. All the kids learned a lot and had a really fun time. That's my goal!

In some ways I feel like I just got here. The time goes by so quickly when I am teaching classes, it is really my passion. I enjoy having some free time to walk, ride, read or just think. I truly believe everyone should spend some time alone, whether you like it or not. It will be transforming.

I took a bike ride to Confluence Park where the Platte River is overflowing due to the large snowmelt this year. It's still really nice to ride along, and sometimes through, the water. Now this is what a bike path should look like! (Take note Dallas and Plano.) Tomorrow is the Century Ride where 3600 people ride 100 miles all around the Denver area, including up and yes, down, Lookout Mountain. Since I'm not quite up to that, I'm opting for the Westword Music Showcase, 7 hours, over 100 local bands, 15 venues, lots of beer.