Scotland and other adventures

I just got back from Scotland a couple of weeks ago. I attended Gillian Cox's week long workshop. If you aren't familiar with Gillian Cox (Gillian Lee Smith), well then please visit her website.
http://www.gillianleesmithartist.com/. I can't even explain the impact that it had on me. I went there, and because I teach, I felt like I should impress the other students at the workshop. We started out with sketching outside (oh no, my biggest fear)! I never got how artists could just go outside and sketch the most mundane images and make them look interesting. I couldn't even understand sketching something spectacular, especially when it comes to buildings (the dreaded perspective). So any ideas of impressing anyone went right out the window. It was then that I decided to be the student and learn; learn the things I didn't think I could learn. I wanted to leave this workshop with something new that I could use in my own art, not just a bunch of "my" work.
So here is my feeble attempt of trying to draw a landscape with some buildings.

Believe me this is one of the better ones! Yuck, so much to learn and could I learn it? Gillian helped me by explaining more about background , foreground, and midground and how to create that illusion. I got what she was talking about, but still couldn't apply it. When I got home I tried some more,

Not perfect but I was starting to get it. I have been wanting to create environments in my paintings so that my figures would be somewhere. I was so focused on the portrait and figure that the background was of no importance to me, but to create atmosphere, they need to be some where. I have a ways to go to understand perspective, but now I have the desire to draw what I see around me. I actually enjoyed drawing my patio, and will now start including drawing my environment as part of my artistic practice.

Here is some of the work I created in the workshop

I started this landscape with a figure during this workshop. It went through many stages of development

Now when I got home, I really changed it and find my style changing and developing even more

 I have worked on another piece that I like. Here it is.

One of the most important aspects of being an artist is to be a student. I will never stop growing; this will consume for the rest of my life!

NOW FOR SOME PROMOTIONAL STUFF!!

I have a new online workshop that will be starting Nov. 24, 2014

http://www.fracturedangelics.com/product/date-pre-raphaelites-e-course

I ALSO HAVE CREATED STENCILS!! My stencils can be purchased at Stencil Girl

Here is the link 

http://www.stencilgirltalk.com/