SOLON & BEYOND: Teacher-less painting classes continue at adult ed

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

The 30th annual craft fair , hosted by North Anson Snowmobile Club, on Saturday, November 2, from 9 a.m.to 2 p.m., at Carrabec High School, in North Anson. There will be hot food, donuts and pies for sale along with over 70 crafters!

I copied the above information from a poster on the wall at Griswold’s. It is really a great opportunity to find Christmas gifts and many other things for yourself or friends.

I have always had a table there from the beginning, but this year I listened to friends and family who convinced me that maybe I should slow down a bit! And so I passed on my space to my granddaughter, Amanda Walz, who has been making lots of different goodies. I will be there helping her some, and will have a few things that I have made. Hope to see you all there!

And the above is all the recent news I could round up, so many of you have been asking me how many years I have been doing the teacher-less project at the Skowhegan Adult Ed classes. I really don’t know for sure but I found some information on a poster I had made about that club. It was an article I had written for The Town Line back on April 13, 2006, about this, with a picture they had taken of club members at that time. (That was a meeting when we were going to come up with a name for this club, so it had been going on for some time before that.)

These are the words I used in the newspaper article: “For the past few years I have been taking the oil painting classes at Skowhegan Adult Education and enjoying them immensely. Peggy Riley was the teacher and I had learned many new techniques through her instruction, and had made many new friends. Peggy decided that she wouldn’t be teaching when the January sessions started up again, and when I saw that the classes weren’t going to be offered for that semester I was disappointed.

(The article was too long to get in this column so this is a shorter version of the one that was printed.) I came up with the crazy idea of having a teacher-less painting club. I went to the administrator’s office and asked them if they would let me do this with a teacher-less person running it. Was very, very happy and pleased when they gave their permission.

When I arrived the first night I was given the attendance folder with M. Rogers, instructor, on the cover. The word “Instructor” went to my head a little, and one night when one of the members was misbehaving, I gave him a push and he nearly fell over, bending his glasses in the near fall. Since then I don’t rule with an iron hand!

Some people would not agree with that statement, I’m pretty sure! I have stressed, (without any violence) that I would prefer that there wouldn’t be any discussions on two topics, politics and religion while we are there so that those who love peace while they paint, can enjoy their stay there! Have had a fear that that is probably against “Freedom of Speech,” but I do know it can get pretty rowdy and loud with some discussions!

And now back to the picture and write up about this teacher-less painting class! Members at that meeting were Suzanne Currier, Shirley Foxwell, Linda Sullivan, Gerda Pilz, Betty Dow, Dana Hall, Linwood Turcotte, Peter Foxwell, and me. The column ended with these words: “We meet every week for three hours of relaxation in a pleasant atmosphere and I know I look forward to our Monday night sessions. I’m pretty sure the other nine members feel the same way. I am so happy that the Skowhegan Adult Education had enough faith in us to try this experiment with a teacher-less club, and my thanks go out to them.”

And now for Percy’s memoir: Enthusiasm may mark the difference between success and failure. Undertakings entered into half-heartedly often lack the extra or the plus that can lift them over the hurdle. A whole heart comes with confidence and with belief in what you are doing. As St. Paul said, “Whatever you do, put your whole heart and soul into it, as into work done for God.”