Silver Cat Tea Party: Watercolor Workshop at the Dancing Cat!

This past weekend I got to go to a watercolor workshop with a friend at the Dancing Cat in San Jose

While art was one of my favorite subjects in school and I was sure to try and take as many classes as I could, watercoloring is something I had absolutely no experience with so I was excited to try this workshop out. Not to mention that I haven't been to the Dancing Cat since they reopened several months ago and so I was excited to re-check this place out.

The Dancing Cat is like a cat cafe minus the coffee. It's really more like a club house for cat lovers which provides a comfortable home for several homeless and family-less cats while they wait for their new forever home. You can see my previous visits to this cat cafe here, here, and here. While they changed a few aspects of the place, the spirit of it remains the same. It was great getting to see all their cats running around freely and lounging away like there's no tomorrow.

As for the workshop, I thought it was very well organized. We arrived a little early and was able to grab some coffee at a nearby coffee shop before getting started. When it was time and we walked into the Dancing Cat, the large center table they have was decked out and ready with all the necessary supplies we would need for the event. The instructor Frances Marin was very informative and helpful keeping instructions simple and yet making it easy enough for us to feel comfortable to just jump right in. Once we got started and throughout the workshop she would come around to each of us giving us individual feedback, suggestions, and encouragement. Periodically she would give further instructions to the group in general to help us along in our work. While it seemed that everyone was working at a different pace, I never felt rushed or discouraged if I was at a different place or working in a different pace from the other students in the workshop. Frances Marin was great with leading this workshop knowing that everyone works at a different speed. Also, I don't think the cats played a small insubstantial role in keeping us calm or giving us necessary distractions when we needed it. The Dancing Cat was very smart as well in selecting some very nice calming jazz to play in the background during the workshop.

Overall, I had a great time at the Dancing Cat and at this workshop! I'd love to do the workshop again if they offer it again in the future. In any case, I will be sure to be back for visits with the cats.