Our Free Fresco Demo Adventure!!

Today was such a beautiful day, Marta and I had to decide which to do, go with the Plein Aire group to the desert or go to the free fresco demo we had signed up for. It was at an art store in San Clemente, right next to the beach. We voted for the demo and left this morning at around 9 so we made the 11 oclock class with time to spare. The instructor was Russian and was very accomplished in his trade, was on the board of decorative arts and judged products and shows on faux marbles etc. He worked in NY and now has a studio in LA. His work has been on TV with Diane Sawyer etc. I know this free demo was to drum up students for the school but I couldn't help wanting to get all my questions answered here, for free! He struggled a bit with his english so much of the time he searched for the appropriate word to use. He was a bit on the scattered side, I am sure there is so much information in his head he doesn't know how to compress it for these short demos, so he rambled alot. I struggled to follow his english and his thoughts and it became exhausting by the end of the day. He thought he had all day and they ended up telling him he only had till two thirty at two. He had spent so much time talking he had pushed his actual fresco application and painting till the very end to keep us hooked. All I wanted was for him to hurry up and paint something. We behaved ourselves, but by two we were weak from a lack of food or drink and Marta, who was coming down with a cold, was fading fast. Although I found parts of the demo interesting and just learning about the complexity involved in doing frescos was amazing but I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we are cured from the need to persue this line of artwork. I can appreciate all the masters did to create them while I use my premixed paints in a tube on store bought paper, canvas,wallboard or any other premade surface. I do love the end result, but I think I would like a way to faux the result instead. We got some lunch at the El Adobe Mexican Resturant down by the Mission and ate outside, it was really a great adventure today.