Yesterday I headed out to paint on location. The mornings are really nippy now and my days of painting on location are almost finished for another year. I had an idea for a half sheet with laundry and the bay in behind. I packed up the pegs and laundry in case the perfect wash wasn’t hanging out. When I got to “my clothes line” there was the owner’s car in the driveway and so I realized that I’d have to find something else. What else? I didn’t have any other ideas.I turned around and drove west. A couple of hay bales in a field with the bay in behind caught my eye and I went back and did a wonderful little quartersheet painting. It just seemed to sizzle. Then I continued driving and ended up at Thomas Cove. Totally disorganized, I set off walking; my pop bottle of water under one arm, my hand holding the two stools and my brushes, palette and paper in my other hand.
This isn’t the best way to hike in the woods. Anyways I found some sandstone that appealed and did a second quarter sheet painting. Again this one clicked and seemed to really catch what I was after. I packed up and was ready to hike back to the car when the view of low tide against the other sand stone cliffs really seemed to beckon. By this time I was cold and tired but I splashed a little bold purple and orange paint on the paper and suddenly I was wide awake and things were perking.
When I was finished the third painting I couldn’t stop looking at the three of them.
I just love them. So many days I try so hard and the paintings are just mediocre and then suddenly I get a day when everything is easy, the paintings astonish me and it’s as if someone else did them.
