It was Merry Christmas to me last weekend as my mom surprised me with a painting class.  Jeff Boutin is a Minnesota native and accomplished painter.  His works can be seen in exhibitions throughout the country, but more locally in Hudson, WI and Minneapolis, MN.

This weekend I was lucky enough to participate in his "Fall Birch" oil painting class and was so pleased to come away with something beautiful!

Here are a few pics of what I managed to create!

Here we go!  A blank board and lots of ambition.

Was I supposed to bring my own color wheel?

This looks frightening.

I assure you, the red seemed like a good idea at the time.

I forgot to take pictures for a while.  Adding the trees was really intense.  This was the next time I paused.

My pallet looks like this now.

Leaves are so difficult.  I told Jeff (we're on a first name basis) that teaching his techniques is brilliant job security.  Right about here I was about to pop into the gallery, choose a gorgeous birch painting off the wall, pay him the several hundred/thousand dollars and be done with it.  Seriously, I was starting to think there was no hope in sight.

...and then I brightened it up a bit and started to fall in love.

This is the final picture I snapped of it before taking in home every so gingerly in my trunk.  It looks much prettier in person, and I can't wait to frame it.

I'll be sure to post a pic once it is proudly on my wall.  What a great x-mas present, from my mom, for me, by myself.