I awaken with a start, to realize that I was to meet my fellow painters at 8:30. I have a reputation for being merciless to latecomers, and now I am the miscreant.
8:37 a.m.
Receive a text: Wow...look at this...if there's one thing Chris and I can't stand, it's tardiness.
8:37 a.m.
Another text: We are laughing, and doing the Donald is late dance.
10:50 a.m.
I finally make it to the painting site, having hiked about seven miles to where they are attempting to paint.
They have walked through woods that Shiskin would have loved, and skirted a meadow that Metcalf might have called paradise. A rutted track, straight out of Levitan, was passed over. I'm glad I left my kit in the car.
11:30 a.m.
Back at my car, to get my gear.
12:00 noon
Todd and I go to get some food.
1:30 p.m.
Sometime after lunch from Panera, Todd and I set up in the meadow. Chris is conducting a telephone interview with another artist. Todd is fuming at his French easel.
1:45 p.m.
Ominous dark sky. We consider our exposed position. The wind picks up. Our easels tremble in the blast. My paper towel tries to makes a run for it.
1:46 p.m. Todd is amused by my attempts to gather it in, and photographs it. I am not amused.
1:47 p.m. We decided to hightail it.
2:12 p.m. Safely in my studio, we remember what fun plein air painting really can be, and we marvel, yet again, at our courage and steadfastness in the face of a daunting challenge.
No fish today.
Wonder how the fishing was in France.
Hahaaaaaaa......if the three stooges were painters!...The good news is, we have perfectly good clean canvases for next time. I'm doing the hungry fisherman dance.
ReplyDeleteHilarious account of an all too common plein air adventure. The best part was your 10:50 description "walked through woods Shiskin would have loved..." etc. Next time..!
ReplyDeleteIn France we are experiencing a once in 50 year storm cycle which has maintained high winds and rain for almost a week and a half...and still with us. We are hoping that it will shift this week although I was down by the Charente River this morning and it is reaching flood stage at several points. So much for the drought we were having. Fortunately I managed a week in the southwest of England. Too threatening to paint but dry enough to obtain good studio material.
ReplyDeleteI can be rather squirrel-like, and I will hide the kernel of a painting idea for the winter rather than using it right up. Unfortunately, as I get older, the squirrel analogy becomes even more apt: I frequently don't remember where I hid them.
ReplyDelete