The Wizard of Oz @ Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

Terry Gadaire as the Tin Man and Cord Nash as the Scarecrow

(Photo courtesty of Jamie Harper)

 

Bethany Lorentzen as Dorothy

(Photo coutesy of Jamie Harper)

Cord Nash as the Scarecrow and Gary Caswell as the Cowardly Lion

(Photo courtesy of Jamie Harper)

We had the most delightful weekend seeing yet another fabulous production at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre.  The past two times we were there we saw plays that had seven or less cast members.  But this time we saw The Wizard of Oz with a cast of about twenty.  It was absolutely amazing how they performed this huge show right in Don Bluth's family room.  The actors were perfectly cast, and they all did an outstanding job.   We brought some friends with us this time, and they could not of thanked us enough for inviting them to go along with us.  They said it was one of the most unique theatre experiences they have ever had...I completely agree.

December 21, 2012

According to the Mayan Calendar, December 21, 2012 marks the end of an era, while others say it marks the end of the world.  But it's really the End-of-Whatever...whatever YOU want to end in order for a new personal beginning.

 

Christmas Jukebox @ Fountain Hills Theater

Every December I try to do something Holiday-ish.  Over the past few years I have gone to see A Christmas Carol at the Herberger Theatre, The Nutcracker Ballet, A White Christmas at ASU Gammage, Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Gardens, and The Phoenix Boys Choir.  I have always wanted to go and see Christmas Jukebox at the Fountain Hills Theater, but never had a free weekend during the busy month of December.  Well, this past summer I put Christmas Jukebox on my "must see" list, and I went this past Sunday afternoon.  I had a great time and this will also be on my "must see" list for December 2013.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers @ Desert Stages Theatre

Hubby and I had a very crappy, pukey week...literally.  We attended a party that had a very bad caterer and we got food poisoning.  Not the best way to shed a few pounds before the holidays.  Anyway, we already had tickets to go see Last of the Red Hot Lovers at Desert Stages Theatre for Friday, December 14th.  Even though we had just started feeling physically better, we were not at all in a good mood to go out on Friday night, and the energy in the car going to the theatre was let's say...sucky.  So I was grateful that we were at least seeing a comedy, and not a downer drama.  They say that laughter is the best cure for whatever is troubling you, and that is so true.  The energy on the car ride home was way better after laughing for 2-1/2 hours.  So thanks to the wonderful, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud performances of all the talented cast of Last of the Red Hot Lovers, you made our crappy, pukey, and sucky week a litter brighter.  Thanks.

Also, KUDOS to the prop people for filling the theatre with the smell of marijuana.     

 

 

Out of Africa

Since I did not host Thanksgiving at my house, I had a pretty free week, so hubby and I headed up to Out of Africa Wildlife Park on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I use to go to Out of Africa all the time when it was located just outside of Fountain Hills.  I would take ALL my out-of-town guests there, regardless if you were 10 years old or 50 years old.  And it didn't matter if it were a cool 70 degrees or 110 degrees...if you stay with me...you are going to Out of Africa...period!  That was the rule of my Bed and Breakfast.  lol

I even went there on their very last day, before they had to abruptly move to their new site up north.  Even though I wish Out of Africa was closer to my home so I could go more often, I am so happy that they have such a phenomenal site up north.
 

Bush Safari

Lion has million dollar views

Tiger Splash

The Phoenix Symphony at Scottdale Shea Medical Center

A "B-Sharp"  Music Wellness Program

 

Today I spent my afternoon listening to the beautiful music from The Phoenix Symphony.  They performed a free two-hour concert at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center as part of their B-Sharp Music Wellness Program.  I heard about this concert because I am an old fogey who still reads the newspaper even in this new digital age, and there was a write-up about it in the Arizona Republic a few days ago.  What a fabulous way to spend a stress-free afternoon listening to the healing power of music.

Another way to have a stress-free November 19th Monday that promotes physical and mental wellness...don't host Thanksgiving at your house.  lol  All of my friends were busy today doing the shopping, cleaning and baking for the BIG Turkey Day...but not me! I enjoyed and soaked up very meditating and relaxing music thanks to the fabulous Phoenix Symphony.
 

And Then There Were None @ Fountain Hills Theater

 

 

 

I made a very last minute decision to go on Sunday afternoon to see And Then There Were None at the Fountain Hills Theater.  The reason for the last minute decision was mainly due to the fact that I already had a full schedule this week.  I had out-of-town friends staying with me until Tuesday afternoon, then I went to an Election Party on Tuesday evening...I had class on Wednesday morning...I already had plans with other people to go out on Friday and Saturday.  Also, there were a couple of other things that I could have done on Sunday afternoon as well.  Plus, I just saw this play in the summer of 2011.  But the one thing I know for sure is that you will always have a great experience at the Fountain Hills Theater...ALWAYS!  So even though I was a little tired, and I knew who the murderer was, I still had a great experience...thanks to the always outstanding Fountain Hills Theater. 

 

 

FORWARD!

 

 

 

 

 

Osher Lifelong Learning Course with Professor Michael Pfister- Day 1

The New Century and the Digital Age:  How New Media, Social Networking, and Digital Innovation are Changing Global Culture  Instructor:  ASU Professor, Michael Pfister

Course Description:  The 21st century has seen an explosion on new technologies that are rapidly altering the way we communicate, compose, and perceive the world around us.  Social media is a global platform for personal and professional expression.  How then have these new forms changed how we think about communication, socio-cultural experience, and creation?  This exciting class will examine how these changing technologies are shaping the culture around us both good and bad.

Today was my first class with Osher Lifelong Learning and I picked the above course to start off with.   Not only did the topic interest me, but I liked in the course description the statement, "shaping the culture around us both good and bad."  I am all for technological advancements to make our lives easier, but there is a point when these new technologies can change our culture in a bad way.

In today's class we discussed privacy issues in the new digital age. Professor Pfister told us the generation he teaches at ASU is not the least bit concerned about their privacy. The younger generation has no problem putting it all out there for the world to see.  Even what some older generations would think of as a private moment, like a wedding proposal, are now put out on YouTube for the world to see.  He showed us one of the more famous Flash Mob Wedding Proposals on YouTube.  I do feel this puts a lot of pressure on the younger generation today...like you better propose in the most spectacular way if you love me, and want me to marry you.

Well flash mob proposals put on the internet for all to see can be harmless if the relationship works out, something to show the grandkids someday.  But what if a relationship you are in doesn't work out, and it's put out there on the internet for the entire world to know.  I was thinking in class today of one of my favorite Two and a Half Men episodes where Jake Googles his Uncle Charlie and finds a website called Charlie Harper Sucks.  This website was created where all the women he has dated can tell their horror stories of dating Charlie.  Classic!  This is where the new digital age can not only hurt you, but destroy you and your reputation easily and quickly.

I really enjoyed the class with Professor Pfister.  Plus the people in the class were very talkative which always makes the class more lively.

ON A SIDE NOTE:  If Professor Michael Pfister has a Google Alert set-up for his name, then he will be notified of my blog post.  It would be interesting to see if a professor who teaches about the new digital age has signed up for Google alerts on himself.  I know if I was a teacher, I would most definitely be searching my name to see what the students could be saying about me.  lol   Professor Pfister if you find this post, or someone else alerts you to it,  please let me know when you see me in class next week. I am the woman whose only use for her cell phone is to order pizzas from the road.

Cloud Atlas

When I saw the tagline, "Everything is Connected" for the film Cloud Atlas that was enough to peak my interest in this film.  Then when I read it deals with reincarnation...I was hooked...I knew I had to see this movie when it comes out. 

Reincarnation has always been a topic of huge interest for me.  So much so that several years ago I participated here in Scottsdale in a weekend workshop with Dr. Brian Weiss, the leading past-life regression expert in the US.  My two favorite books of his that I have always recommended to people are Many Lives, Many Masters, and Same Soul, Many Bodies.  

I could start a whole other blog about this topic of reincarnation and how it has affected me and the people in my life.  One long story short...my husband and I knew we were going to marry each other immediately...but the thing was...we had not met yet.  We just saw each other's name on a piece of paper. I was 17 years old and still in high school.  He was 20 and in his third year of college.  He picked up one of many pieces of paper off his college professor's desk, and the one he picked had my name on it.  He was assigned to take me with him to his college classes the following week as part of my freshman orientation.  He was at the time in a relationship with a beautiful, smart, funny and very nice girl.  But he told his mother the night before meeting me, that he was already planning on breaking up with her so he could start dating me.  When I saw the name of the guy who was to escort me around the university, I was already planning on marrying him by just looking at his name. Pretty presumptuous on both our parts.  I actually became very good friends with the girl he dumped for me when I got into college, and the two of us even went on a Caribbean cruise together.  She found the perfect guy for her too, so all was well.   But honestly, I would not have dumped her for me...she was so great.  So there had to be more of a connection between us, more than we were aware...maybe a past life connection.  Well, 33 years later, we are still together, no kids, no pets, just the two of us, and very happy. 

Anyway, we saw Cloud Atlas on Saturday afternoon and liked it very much.  Hubby even liked it more than Inception.  This is a film you really need to see a few times to really catch everything.  I had read just about everything I could on it beforehand, so I knew the six different story lines from each of the timelines that span over 500 years. Plus I knew all the characters who the actors, and actresses played, even when covered in layers of make-up. So I believe knowing as much as I did before seeing the film helped me appreciate it better and not come out confused in anyway.  I will definitely see it again, but I will wait until it comes out on DVD so I can see it again with subtitles.  There was a lot of dialogue I missed, some due to my poor hearing, but also because of the music being played over the dialogue, and the last timeline, which I knew going in, has a language that is very hard to understand. 

I don't see many movies in a theater anymore, but it's films like Cloud Atlas that actually get me into a theater to see a movie...and I'm glad I did.

Just maybe some person will stumble across this blog post I wrote, and either see the movie Cloud Atlas, or get one of the books from Dr. Brian Weiss, or attend one of his workshops, and their life will change in a good way.  And maybe, just maybe, we might have known each other in another lifetime where they helped me change my life in a good way. We are all connected.

Your Guide to Characters and Connections of Cloud Atlas

Welcome to Cloud Atlas Wiki

My Favorite Review of Cloud Atlas

Into the Woods @ Desert Stages Theatre

On Friday night I saw the extraordinary Into the Woods at Desert Stages Theatre.  I had never seen this musical before in person, but obtained a DVD from the library of the original 1987 Broadway production starring Bernadette Peters as the Witch, and Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife.  Since I had already seen the Broadway production just a few weeks ago, I knew I was really going to like seeing it at Desert Stages Theatre, but I did not know just how much I was going to LOVE it.  Desert Stages really out did themselves with this one.  Their production really even outshined the Broadway production, and that is saying a lot. They pulled off well little things like the talking Giant, and Little Red Riding Hood getting eaten by the wolf...and all very comically too.

Into the Woods has a fun and entertaining storyline, but the music is what makes this so special.  All the songs are very memorable, but the two stand-out ones are "Children Will Listen," and "No One is Alone."  The whole cast had incredible singing voices and gave me goose bumps when singing these beautiful songs. I'm getting goose bumps right now just writing about it...they were that sensational.

Scorpius Dance Theatre - A Vampire Tale

Last night I saw the 'Nutcracker' of Halloween, Lisa Starry's A Vampire Tale. I have seen this dance company perform four times this past year, but this was the first time I saw this special Halloween show which is held at the Little Phoenix Theatre.   All the perfomances I have seen are fantastic, and this one was the best of them all.  Their dances are just not beautiful to watch, they are extremely entertaining.  They have been invited to return to England to perform A Vampire Tale at the 2012 Bram Stoker Film Festival.  Very Cool!

 

Ashes to Ashes @ Fountain Hills Theater

Over the weekend I went to see the play Ashes to Ashes which was written by Peter J. Hill, the Managing/Artistic Director at Fountain Hills Theater.  This comedy is about a Broadway director who goes on a three-day weekend bender, and finds himself on Monday morning engaged to three women who think he is peace activist, a Russian spy and a Mafia hit man.  Add in an angry soon-to-be-ex-wife, and one wild and crazy neighbor for an evening of great big belly laughs.

The play had already been performed there back in 1996, so I'm happy they brought this comedy back again.  The whole cast was excellent, extremely funny, and exuded a lot of physical comedy too. Actress, Jenna Spets should receive some award just for being folded up in a sofa bed so many times. LOL Too Funny!

Herberger Festival of the Arts

I attended the Herberger Festival of the Arts on Saturday which runs from noon to 5:00. There are four stages of entertainment...featuring dance, music, singing, theatre, film, plus other forms of entertainment.  They also have an art gallery, children's activity area, wine tasting and pet adoption.  Now if five hours of packed entertainment wasn't enough for you, they also had at 5:30 a free special performance from iTheatre Collaborative of Underneath the Lintel.

There were over 25 live performances over the course of the afternoon, so it's impossible to see everything, but I saw and enjoyed the works of Ethington Dance Ensemble, AZDance Group, Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli, Center Dance Ensemble, The Opal Collective, Anaya Tribe, Arizona Broadway Theatre, Scottsdale Musical Theatre Company, and Arizona Opera.  But my favorite performance of the afternoon came from Scorpius Dance Theatre which had a nice write-up just today in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Arizona Republic.  I already purchased my tickets to A Vampire Tale back in August...I will blog about it later this month after seeing this cult classic 'Nutcracker' of Halloween show. 

To say the least it was an afternoon packed full of entertainment, and they only charge five dollars for admission.  That's a buck an hour...it's really the BEST deal in town.

Finished off the weekend on Sunday by spending a glorious day outside at the el Pedregal listening to the band Affinity play.  I LOVE living here!

Barefoot in the Park @ Don Bluth's Front Row Theatre

Fun weekend...spent Friday at Fountain Hills Oktoberfest, and then on Saturday saw Barefoot in the Park at Don Bluth's Front Row Theatre.  I love live theatre...especially when it's so up close and personal. You don't feel like an audience member when watching a play in Don Bluth's family room...you feel like you are part of the play and a guest sitting in the 5-flight walk-up New York apartment of Cori and Paul.

I never have seen this play before, and once again got a copy of the movie from the library.  This Neil Simon play was turned into a movie in 1967 starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.  The five actors in the play were all outstanding, and extremely comical.  I loved the play over the movie...much more in fact, and it's due to all the great actors. 

So another entertaining weekend of intimate live theatre.  It doesn't get much better.



Don Bluth in his family room at
Front Row Theatre
 

 

I'm an OLLI @ ASU Member

One of the best perks of turning 50 is now I can enroll in the OLLI at ASU program.  I first heard about Osher Lifelong Learning Institute last year and immediately wanted to join and start taking classes, but I wasn't 50 years old yet.  But now I am. :-)

The other great perk is starting this Fall, ASU will be holding classes at the brand new Maravilla in Scottsdale.  They held an open house at Maravilla on Monday to talk about the program coming to Scottsdale.  Even Mayor Jim Lane was there speaking on how happy he is to have this type of program being offered in Scottsdale.  Besides having several speakers, they served  a nice lunch, had gift giveaways, and entertainment too.  Matthew Weiner, artistic director from Actors Theatre was on hand to talk about his company and brought along actor Ron May to perform a piece from his one man show, The Agony and Ecstacy of Steve Jobs. 

What I like about this program is the classes are geared towards cultural exploration, plus they usually are only 4-weeks long, and 90 minutes each.  Each semester the program will partner with a few cultural institutions to offer workshops and classes.  This Fall you can take different types of art classes at Phoenix Art Museum, music workshops at the Musical Instrument Museum, or the craft of storytelling with Childsplay Theatre.

The BEST part of the program is that there are no books to buy, homework assignments, or tests to take...only fun to be had while broadening your spectrum. 

A Streetcar Named Desire @ Desert Stages Theatre

Chad Krolczyk as Stanley
 



Marlon Brando as Stanley
 

 

Kellie Dunlap as Stella
 

I LOVE movies, but I will admit that I have never been a huge fan of old movies, and therefore never have seen too many of the oldies, even the classic ones.  I felt there was just too much over acting back then.  But now that I'm older, I have a greater appreciation for the older films, and enjoy watching them.  I still think they over act, but it does not bother me as much.  I guess I've mellowed as I've aged. lol

Last week we saw Sunset Boulevard at Fountain Hills Theater, so I got a copy of the movie which it's based on at the Phoenix library since I had never seen it before.  This week we saw A Streetcar Named Desire at Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre which was turned into a movie based on the Tennessee Williams play.   Again, I never saw this old classic movie before this week nor the play.    The library had the two-disc special edition with the original director's version, plus a second bonus disc with 5 new documentaries about the Hollywood film, the play on Broadway, censorship, the music, and Marlon Brando.  I'm happy I watched the film and all the documentaries before seeing Streetcar this weekend...it enhanced my enjoyment and appreciation for this classic play.  I'll admit I'm more familiar with John Travolta's character Vinnie Barbarino from Welcome Back Kotter performing the famous STELLLAAA scene than with Marlon Brando.  Sad, but true.  lol

I really enjoyed the play, even more than the movie.  The cast was PERFECT, and perfectly cast.  Chad Krolczyk even had those Marlon Brando smoldering eyes. 

Ballet Under the Stars

Okay, I am already breaking my own rule for my third year of Artist's Dates...I am posting about something I do yearly, and is not new to me...but I don't care.  I will now post on an Artist's Date if I have a new thought or perspective on it...even if it's something I do on a fairly regular basis.

Okay, so we went to Ballet Under the Stars in Fountain Hills on Thursday night.  We picked up some Italian subs at Quiznos and brought a bottle of Chianti from home, got to Fountain Park early and had a nice dinner while watching the ballet dancers warm up.  It was a very inexpensive, relaxing evening, and we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of Fountain Hills along with a beautiful performance by Ballet Arizona.  Even if you are not a ballet fan, there is no way you could not of had a nice relaxing enjoyable evening. 

Okay, now for my new perspective on this Artist's Date.  I know of several people who were out of town this week...either out of the city, state, and even the country because they needed so desperately to go somewhere else to de-stress.  But these same people never, and I mean never do anything relaxing right in their own backyards...like going to Ballet Under the Stars.  I guess I don't understand why some people never take advantage of all the great things that are offered here in the Valley of the Sun, but feel the need to go somewhere else to do nice relaxing enjoyable things in order to de-stress.

Okay! Whatever!

Sunset Boulevard @ Fountain Hills Theater

Kyle Bennett plays out-of-work screenwriter Joe Gillis,
and Val Stasik is aging silent-film star Norma Desmond 

On Saturday night hubby and I went to see Sunset Boulevard at Fountain Hills Theater.   We have  never seen this musical before, but always wanted to. The traveling production came to the Civic Opera House in Chicago in the Spring of 1997, but at that time we were already too busy making plans to move here to Arizona, so we never did see it.   That's probably a good thing because then I was only 34 years old and would not have appreciated it as much as I did now that I am 50 years old.   I could relate more now to the Norma Desmond's character, plus and even more importantly what is going on today is much like what happened back then.  Times are a changing...and if you don't change with the times you are left out in the cold.  Just like in the Oscar winning film The Artist, Norma Desmond the silent film star does not make the transition into talking films.  Her industry changes, but she does not.  Today, every industry is changing in a BIG way and it will continue to keep changing at a rapid pace.  People who are stuck on the old ways of doing things will be the ones left in the cold just like Norma Desmond.  The Norma Desmond story is more relevant today than ever. 

I never even saw the 1950 movie the musical is based on until just this past week. I got the DVD from our library and watched it, plus all the extra bonus features. I'm really glad I saw the movie first, because with my very poor hearing I really struggle with trying to figure out what the words are, especially when being sung. I have hearing dyslexia and tinnitus.  So knowing what the story was about helped me follow the musical along much better.

I was telling my sister I got a copy of the movie so I could follow the story of this musical better. She reminded me of that funny episode on the TV show Wings where Antonio played by Tony Shalhoub is playing his guitar for Helen and sings the first American folks song he learned when he was a kid growing up in Italy.

He starts singing the following to the tune "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore."

My goat knows the bowling score.
Hal-le-lu-ia.

Helen then tells him the correct words to the classic song, and Antonio says, "Get Out!  The meaning changes."

I found a Youtube video of this classic scene.  I have to admit, I am very much like Antonio even though English is my first language.  lol  I just blame my bad hearing.

I LOVED this musical, and the always stellar Fountain Hills Theater and cast did a marvelous job.  BRAVO!

 

The Artist's Way - Year Three Begins

I started The Artist's Way 12-week course on September 11, 2010 and also wrote my first blog post.  After completing the The Artist's Way 12-week course, I moved onto Julia Cameron's other books...Walking in This World, and then Finding Water...all the while blogging on this site.  I took a few month break from blogging over the summer then started blogging again in September 2011 when I started her other book, The Vein of Gold. The first year I pretty muched blogged about every thing I did.  The second year I blogged about almost everything I did...not all.  Now I am about to start year three even though I am not participating in any of Julia's Cameron's courses.  I still do morning pages most mornings, which I love.  I still go on weekly Artist's Dates, not all by myself, but still many.

So for the third year I decided I am only going to blog about anything new I have seen or done.  I am no longer going to blog about the same things I see or do year after year.  I mean how many times can you blog about going up to the el Pedregal to hear a concert, or visit one of the many art festivals around the valley.  Year three is only about NEW.  If it is not new to me, then there will be no blog about it...period.  I will only blog about anything I have seen for the very first time, or have done for the very first time.   So I may have a lot of new posts on my blog, or only a few.  Only time will tell.

High School Musical @ Desert Stages

 

 

 

On Saturday afternoon I attended Scottsdale Desert Stages Children's Theatre production of Disney's High School Musical.  The children's productions are not only entertaining...they are just so much fun.  They could have called this one High School Musical Jr. lol   Out of the 44 or so performers, my guess is that more than half of them are not in High School yet.  The real little, little kids who played the jocks, cheerleaders and brainiacs were great at keeping up with the older ones, and they were the most fun to watch. Very, very CUTE!

 



The Secret Garden @ Hale Center Theatre

I went for the first time to the Hale Center Theatre in Gilbert and saw The Secret Garden.  I particularly wanted to see this musical because I wrote a 10-minute play awhile back and one of my characters favorite books as a child was The Secret Garden.   The funny thing is that I had never heard of this book before writing my play.  I just Googled cult classic books, and this one came up on the list. The theme of the book just fit my play best.  My play was about three woman who were all dealing with the loss of their mothers very differently.   The character who loved The Secret Garden as a child was the one who was receiving messages and signs from her departed mother.   So when I saw Hale Theatre was doing The Secret Garden, I knew I had to see it.

I got a DVD of the movie last week at the library and watched it before seeing this musical.  I actually liked the musical version much better.  The musical version was more woo-woo, which suits me better.  

The production at the Hale Theatre was outstanding.  The acting, singing, costumes...everything was top notch.   Another magical day seeing LIVE theater. And yes, I was crying at the end.

The Queen of Versailles

 

 

I looked at my upcoming schedule of events for September, October and November, and said I need to chill a bit and take a weekend off of doing stuff.  So I spent all of last weekend at home painting, and hanging out in my pool. 

 

I love movies and see a lot of them, but not too many at the theaters anymore.  I have a hearing problem where I can't hear high pitched tones.  So women and children are nightmares for me to hear.  I prefer now to watch most movies at home with my Sony headset on and with subtitles so I don't miss any of the dialogue.  But I couldn't resist going to see The Queen of Versailles at the movie theater last week.

 

I almost feel a little guilty saying how much I loved this film.  It's like saying you saw a huge train wreck and really enjoyed watching it.  :-)

 

 

The Soul of Broadway @ Fountain Hills Theater

I spent a soulful afternoon listening to seven wonderful and talented singers celebrating the songs from some of Broadway's best "Soul" musicals.  This musical revue at the Fountain Hills Theater included songs from Porgy & Bess, Big River, Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Color Purple, Passing Strange, The Lion King, Once on this Island, Aida, Hairspray and The Wiz.

Going today was kind of a last minute decision, but I'm glad I eased on down the road (Shea Blvd.) to Fountain Hills Theater to hear some fabulous songs from The Great White Way.

Rent @ Desert Stages Theatre

I first saw Rent in Chicago shortly after it won the Tony Award, and so the buzz over this rock opera was extremely high.  Sometimes 'buzz' and too much hype are not a good thing.  I went in extremely excited to see this Tony Award winning musical, but came out after seeing it a little underwhelmed.   But that was not the case last Saturday night when hubby and I went to see the last performance of Rent at Desert Stages Theatre. We both came out totally overwhelmed,  and that is a testament to just how great the cast and the production was at Desert Stages.  They took my not so favorite musical and turned it into one the BEST musicals I have seen at Desert Stages Theatre.  The whole cast was outstanding, and the production phenomenal.

Oh and one more thing...they had a LIVE band playing all the music.  That was pretty cool.

Two Day Acrylic Painting Workshop

I spent last weekend in a two day, 12-hour acrylic painting workshop. I had a blast…a creative blast. I know without a doubt that if I didn’t discover The Artist's Way there would have been no way I would have done something like attending a two day painting workshop. The Artist's Way helps you get out of the box of limiting beliefs. One of my very limiting beliefs is that other people are artists…not me. My older sister was the artist of the family…she owns her own graphic design company. My best friend from grade school is an artist…she got a scholarship to the study at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Sax Fifth Avenue was buying her Raku pottery when she was only in her twenties. When I met my best friend from high school when we were just 14 years old, she and her entire family were already artists, and travelled the country from art show to art show. So I grew up with the limiting belief that I am not an artist. Well after discovering The Artist's Way course that limiting belief became pure BULLSHIT.

Last November I picked up a paint brush for the very first time in my entire life and have been painting ever since. After painting for just several months I decided that if I am going to continue taking lessons then I want to take lessons from an artist who I desire to paint like, or even more importantly, whose art I would buy for myself. My house has not one realistic painting; all the art in my home is either abstract or multi-media. So when I found an artist whose work I love, and who also teaches, I just had to enroll in his workshop.  Funny thing is that when I told him that I have The Artist's Way to thank for getting me here to attend his workshop, he said he did The Artist Way course many years ago, and the course got him to make a major career change.  He said what he is doing now is all due to The Artist's Way.  How perfect is that...two people meet in August 2012 doing what they love, all due to The Artist's Way.

Over the course of the weekend we painted five large paintings all using techniques that were new to me. Four of the five were abstract, which of course were my favorites. I still need to do some touch up work on them, but I was truly surprised at how much we did accomplish in just two days.

I have a new passion, and my old limiting beliefs are dead and gone…all thanks to The Artist' Way. :-)

The beginning of Abstract Circles

                                              The middle of Abstract Circles

                             The almost finished painting of Abstract Circles

My finished Abstract Circles.

The beginning of Running River

The middle of Running River

The not yet finished Running River

The beginning of Abstract Design

The middle of Abstract Design

The finished Abstract Design