Painting I

Some time after we were married I must have mentioned to Claire that if I ever had the time I would like to try to do some picture painting with oil colors. I think this was after reading that Winston Churchill did picture painting in his spare time. So, Claire reminded me of this after we had moved to the DeMille farm at Plymouth Meeting. She bought me a small set of oil paints and suggested that I try them. The result was very poor, but it did get Dolly Spratt interested and together we decided to attend a series of classes that were sponsored by the Norristown Art League at a small schoolhouse nearby. The instructor was Lois Rapp, a famous local painter, and she let us start with trying to paint a portrait along with other amateurs. The results were laughable but she soon showed us how to make a preliminary sketch and after that first night we were much encouraged.