A kaleidoscope of colors stream through the full-length windows of the Lake San Marcos recreation room — lavender, azure blue, emerald green highlighting the intensity and beauty of the students’ art. A diminutive woman, with keen brown eyes and a confident German smile, walks among the classroom nodding, making suggestions, encouraging her artists.

“How to hold the brush, explaining the elbow moves the brush not the hand. If they copy from a picture I tell them how to improve it. I change my mind at every table. Sometimes I say things that make them mad. Less is more,” she might say, quoting landscape painter Andrew Wyeth or “the sparse beauty of Chinese art.” She points to a watercolor scene of a boat. “There is no shadow under the boat because Asians expect you to see the shadow under the boat. Leave something to the imagination — like simplicity.”

Class meets every Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m.  At its conclusion, students comment on each other’s paintings, discuss the subject matter, color and overall appearance. Some students scan and reduce the size of their favorites to make attractive gift cards.

Elsie Marshall has been teaching the San Marcos class for 30 years. Not so unusual for a dedicated art teacher. But, have a closer look. Her enthusiastic students have just celebrated Elsie’s 96th birthday on March 1. In a timeframe that predicts longer life for aging baby boomers, isn’t it remarkable that here, the instructor has surpassed her students!

Elsie is quick to say she has always been interested in art and the many paintings gracing her home reveal a talent and fascination. After growing up and attending 11 different public schools, she recalled, “I finally settled down — for a time. At 18 I attended Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. But, I met a boy and fell in love and didn’t really study much art.” Two years later she married Edward Marshall, a baseball player for the New York Giants. They had three boys, and now have six grandchildren and two great granddaughters.

Her home personifies her life as wife and artist. “I don’t like to sit and watch television.” And it’s easy to see she doesn’t.  One room features photos of her late husband and his many baseball activities. Other rooms are filled with art done in various media. Oil paintings of fruit and vegetables highlight a kitchen area, another displays colorful framed stitchery and watercolors hang through out. Sculpture is another favorite subject. Over the fireplace hangs an unusual and stunning work of sculpture cloth. “I used buckets of white glue to make the painting dipping bits of lace, fringe from an old bedspread, a dress and string, then arranged this all in a design and sprayed it white.”

“I am fond of painting trees,” she said and indicates

a brilliant blue and yellow ceramic cat, purchased in Italy. It is responsible for the calming blue and yellow forest scene hanging on the wall behind the cat. As for the “shades” of blue and yellow, Elsie quickly said, “I never use names for the various shades. There are only three colors!”

Elsie paints from memory or imagination. In the Los Angeles City Hall hangs “Cool Blue Line,” an oil painting. “I did this after visiting California’s Inland Valley. The countryside was very dry. The only color I saw was the blue water of the winding canal.”

When asked what art means to her, she replied quickly, “I enjoy painting. It’s something to look forward to every day.”  She laughs, “I get up every morning to go on Wednesday, the day of my art class.  … Art is what has made me live so long.