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When I was about 12, my family went to a Family Reunion in St. Louis, Mo. My mother's family had lived there for generations but we had never met those people or seen the ancestral home. My grandfather died when I was quite young and my grandmother moved to Florida. We visited Mother's sisters' families but didn't know our second cousins. My grandfather came from a very large (8 brothers and sisters) German family on his side and a small (only child) French/German family on my grandmother's side. So we were introduced to a large group of people who looked vaguely familiar except for Uncle Otto. He was short and wide and loud and funny and what I now think of as the best and jolliest of the Bavarian clan. While painting in Galveston I ran across this German Dance Hall from the late 1800s, and something about it reminded me of Uncle Otto. It is Huge and sits on a lovely park in the old section of town and as I walked around it I decided to paint it with Uncle Otto in mind. I placed it low on the canvas to emphasize its short appearance and concentrated on a frontal view to make it appear even wider. The building is painted gay bright colors. Can't you just see Uncle Otto dancing the Polka in this building? Once again, Galveston is so full of history, it is definitely more than a beach!

Today is the last day of Art Class for 3 months and I am feeling wistful. It has been such a struggle trying to make it work as an artist during this pandemic and I am so not alone! Try as I might, very few people wanted to take painting lessons during this awful year and a half and I pray it will be a distant memory by next September. Painting classes will start next September 20th (week). The 3-month session will run through December 16 and if you or someone you know, have always wanted to learn to paint...this is the place! The classes are intentionally small and you have lots of opportunities to fit a class into your busy schedule. Classes are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:30-12:30 (can stay for Lunch) and 2:00-5:00. Tuesday class is 2:00-5:00. Each class is $350. a month and you can easily make up classes. The future reminds me of the painting above, trying to see through the mist. It's beautiful but what was familiar suddenly appears unknown. I hope some of you will be part of my future.