We had our first ‘coffee, cake and create’ art workshop last week, and it was a great success. Local artist Greta came and gave us step by step instructions on how to create a beach scene in acrylic on canvas. We began with tea and coffee and a slice of delicious carrot cake, while Greta explained to us what we were going to do. At each step of the way she was there to help and guide us to our goal. It was wonderful to see how everybody produced something unique and special. Some of us did portrait scenes and some landscape. Some of us had a straight line of sea and a horizon, others had a diagonal line of sea. Some of us had people and beach umbrellas on the sand, others palm trees and vegetation. There were even people swimming in a rock pool, and a boat on the horizon. We learned what colours went into creating the colour for the sand, and those that created the sea colours. We learned some tips and tricks for creating a clean horizon line, and for creating different textures and shapes. It was fascinating to see how a composition comes together in just a few steps. We were engrossed for a few hours in our artistic creations, and it was a lovely way to spend a morning. Thanks to Greta for putting on a great workshop and sharing her expertise, and to the residents who came down to have a play. None of us had done a lot of painting before, so we were proud of our first attempts. It just goes to show that anyone can be creative and have fun!