Dear friends, 
May is a month full of possibilities and MAYBES! The weather is warmer and more predictable, so MAYBE we can start plein air painting again. The sun is up longer, so MAYBE we can start walking after work. Covid seems to be on the decline, so MAYBE we can meet some friends for a museum visit! There is something about the warm breezes and bright colors of May that make me feel hopeful and confident again!

As I look into May, I am thinking MAYBE I can restart my daily art habit. I’ve had a daily practice in the past, but I have not sustained it. MAYBE this month I can! My inspiration is Kelly Anne Powers and her 20 for 20 Challenge. If you think, “I don’t have time to make art every day” you should listen to Kelly’s Learn To Paint Podcast from last week. It changed the way I think about creating every day and MAYBE I can do it now. Listen to it! And then ask yourself: What new thing will you try this month?

Here is a stack of artistic adventures for May. We hope you will join us!

• PLEIN AIR PAINTING and OUTDOOR SKETCHING - It’s mostly dry. It’s not too hot. There are no midges or greenheads yet. May is the perfect time to start making art outside. Classes start next week, so take the leap!

• MEET TONY - Tony Lombardi joins our teaching staff this month! After pursuing an Art Education degree from Rhode Island College, Tony spent 20 years building a vibrant, dynamic and welcoming community for adolescents and their families in the town of Andover. Now he plans to continue this work by offering adults the chance to water and grow their creative curiosity at Slow River Studio. Follow his weekly mantras and see his beautiful sketches on Instagram or in his drawing and sketching classes!

• WEDS NIGHT DRAWING CLASS - Many of you asked us to add an evening beginner drawing class, so we did! Join Tony on Wednesday nights from 6-8pm and learn to draw in a fun, supportive environment.

• SUMMER SKETCHING VACATIONS are now available for registration! Join us on July 10-12th in The Berkshires or from August 21-23rd in Mystic, CT. These art vacations are full of sightseeing and sketching instruction, all among the beautiful landscapes and magnificent museums on New England. Join us for an art adventure you will never forget - and remember: the best art vacations are the ones we take with other artists!

• LOTS OF LOCAL ART OPPORTUNITIES - Call a friend and sketch the open markets in Copley and Harvard Squares or stay on the north shore and sketch Todd Farms in Rowley. Visit some Outdoor Art Exhibitions in Boston or tour the Punto Mural Museum in Salem. Visit the deCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden in Lincoln or join a Walking Tour of Hopper’s Houses with the Cape Ann Museum.

We hope these ideas inspire you to say MAYBE - - MAYBE I can add more art into my life, MAYBE I can make art every day, MAYBE I am an artist too! We can’t wait to make art with you this month!

Love, Jess and the Slow River Staff