I started a monthly art night in October 2013. This picture is from the February 2014 meeting.

The Art Night group meets once a month and is an extremely relaxed event. No one has to RSVP to come, Everyone is welcome to bring a friend. There is not a set meeting time, but “anytime after 6” is fine to come, and can leave anytime (even after dinner). Dinner and hot tea is provided. The dinner and dishware is set out, and people can help themselves and put their dishes in the sink when done. I really wanted to encourage people to be able to to come after work, and not worry about food. M does all of the cooking so far, and even makes dessert sometimes.

Everyone is encouraged to bring something to work on. The whole point of the art night is to encourage each other to stay creative in some way in our day-to-day lives whether a professional, student, or stay-at-home person. There has been sewing, origami, coloring book and colored pencils, gouache painting, Valentines making, wedding decor crafting, oil painting, photo editing, figure sketching, and needlepoint,

Conversation naturally happens from the time of arrival to departure. We share and discuss interesting ideas, inspiring books, work stories, family stories, beliefs and spirituality, and even controversial topics. It is great to meet with these artists and to be encouraged to continue trying to understand how to live in this world as an artist.