A New Year Comes With New Opportunities

A Clean Glass - 6"x6" oil on panel

We’ve all probably made some New Year’s resolutions over the years. My favorite is to learn more about wine, and I make that resolution every year. But beyond that one, I prefer to focus on opportunities rather than resolutions.

Marsh From the Bridge - 8"x10" oil on panel
Final Assignment in my Beginner Oil Painting Class

I’m almost always up for opportunities to learn something new. And there are so many ways to learn these days. We can take in-person classes or live Zoom classes in everything from fitness to painting to playing a musical instrument. There are also self-paced online classes and YouTube videos. Teaching with Zoom has been a great addition to my practice. It means that people who don't live nearby can join my classes. I've made some wonderful new friends with this expanded audience.

Demo of rocks from  one of my live zoom classes in 2023

There are so many learning opportunities available to each of us. From hobbies to personal growth, fitness, sports, and jobs, I can't count them all. And they are more accessible than ever. Perhaps we have pandemic ingenuity to thank for that.

I teach painting both online and in person. Online, I have self-paced  classes in addition to live Zoom classes. I restrict those to 6 students at a time, so that everyone gets personal attention. And I also teach plein air workshops in person. My students have particularly enjoyed those in Yarmouth, Monhegan Island, and Provence.

Visan Vineyard - 8"x10" oil on panel
- final demo from my plein air workshop in Provence -

I've been thinking about the opportunities I'd like to take advantage of this year.

What do you want to learn? I’d love to hear about it.