Because I've always wanted to learn how to paint and was looking to meet people in a new city, I signed up for a beginning painting class at the local community center. 

Before I signed up, I emailed the instructor and explained that I've never done any painting of any kind. She assured me that was fine and that someone else was brand new too.

There was a choice of buying a bunch of stuff I didn't understand or paying a $10 materials fee. I opted to pay the fee and asked what I should bring. I was given a list and put my materials together. 

Morning of the event, the instructor told me she didn't have acrylics but I could use her oil paint. I honestly didn't know the difference so ok. 

We spent the first part of the class on color mixing. I'm hanging in there so far. This is pretty much science at this point. 

Then she sat at apple down in front of us and told us to paint it. 

I'm sorry WHAT?

I have no clue how to even get started. I start fiddling around with the palette making colors. The cheap plastic pallet that I picked up at the local craft store was apparently all kind of the wrong thing even though I did specifically ask what I needed to bring.

I watched what everyone else did and then just figured I'd start playing around. Better than staring at that blank canvas.  below is the result  At one point she asked me if I was LOOKING at the apple.

Oh yeah, I see the apple there. It was what I now know of as turning to mud. Keep in mind, I didn't know how to load a brush. I'd never even seen a palette knife. I wanted to just start over with new paper but for some reason that was verboten and instead she had me blot the paint off with paper towels. 

I made a right proper mess and then tried to clean it up with water. I mean these brushes she loaned me were coated with paint, I was coated with paint, the sink and a dozen paper towels were coated with paint. Trying to clean it made it so much worse. When I made a lame Lady MacBeth joke trying to get all the paint off my hands, I'm shocked she didn't throw me out. 

There are only two classes in this series and the second one is Friday. I'm going back because I did make a couple of friends while I was there so that was one goal at least.

When I got home, I ordered some supplies of my own and started researching beginning acrylic painting. I ran across this course and it is amazing. I now see several things I did wrong and am working on a strategy to get through Friday's class. 

The only downside is that part of what I wanted to do was learn to paint as a way to reduce stress. It was incredibly stressful to have no idea what I was doing. Its pretty stressful to binge watch as many painting videos as I can like I'm cramming for a test.  

These videos and the paintings that I've been obsessing over all weekend make me think that maybe I can at least learn enough to hang in there and not embarrass myself.