This is a picture of the clay fish I shaped and painted over the past two classes. Like many people in our class, I felt disconnected to my animal before I started to paint it. Originally, I wanted to create a dolphin but I found that I lacked the skill do to so. I resigned myself to making a fish, an animal that seemed easy to shape. After I painted my fish, I was surprised at how much I grew to like it. I changed its name from the generic-sounding "Blue" to a more interesting, "Amalia" and I was able to take pride in her shape and color.

One of my favorite aspects of this class is how it enables me to feel proud and happy about making art. I've never considered myself a particularly good artist, and before this class, I considered making art to be an activity reserved solely for people who had artistic talent. I appreciate having a space to  draw, paint and create.