Wednesday, June 28, 2017

When Life Gives You Lemons...

What started out as a SUPER LEMON day yesterday has turned into lemonade for me.

5:30 AM Family medical emergency sets the emotional tone for the day.

9:00 AM Local students for our plein air painting day together DO NOT arrive as expected.

9:15 AM Last minute addition arrives - an artist from FL who is visiting in the area - and we begin a delightful four hour private session of plein air painting together.

Morning Walk, pastel, 7x5 inches sold
The artist I was working with is adept in a variety of mediums. Pastel is her most recent addition and she has identified her challenges with it so that is the medium we focused on. We started out on the back patio facing the studio garden. I use a scene before me as inspiration and let a painting evolve from there. This artist works in that manner also so she understood when my completed painting had elements of the scene before us (overcast but bright sky, Washington State fir trees, a winding path, lots of green foliage) but was not a literal representation.

Melissa painting the lake
An overcast morning turned into a sunny afternoon and we moved to the lake side. Our session together ended with a lovely painting by Melissa and the medical emergency resolved.

In retrospect, what began as a most unusual day has contributed to my decision that private mentoring is the way I will structure my teaching for the rest of this year. So, to those who have contacted me wanting to attend a group plein air session like the one I offered yesterday - instead, please consider one-on-one painting or consulting sessions with me. Email me for more info.


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