April 2009

Mother Nature really doesn't think much about painters. It is as if her astounding beauty is worth all the crap she can throw at you as you try to enjoy it. As I've written in several posts, she likes to present all kind of obstacles to you when you paint. As if painting wasn't challenging enough. Well, I got the best of her this week. I'm getting married in June at really cool antebellum mansion turned B&B called Madison Oaks in Madison, GA. In conjunction with the event, I'm going to do several paintings of the place. With encouragement by Madison Oaks (thanks Melinda!), I'm going to produce prints and postcards of the series. This weekend was my first opportunity since the Spring leaves came out to paint there. However, the forecast called for rain. I already got rained out of camping last weekend due to rain, so I wasn't going to take this without a fight. I can't really get upset, as we need the rain, and a nice wet Spring is very helpful to my subject matter. The task at hand is how painting and the elements can coexist. So I did some research and got a Kelty Sunshade. I set it up in Freedom Park and sprayed it with waterproof spray. I was completely jazzed as I now had another weapon in my arsenal of painting in nature. I was now hoping it would rain. The Sunshade worked perfectly.  A nice tent with a great view and room enough for Kate to sit and chat with me while I worked. It is great to have the option, as I have been wanting to paint mountain landscapes in early morning light rains  when the atmosphere is so exaggerated. It will also come in handy as a sunshade when I return to the desert or paint at the beach. So even though it showered off and on, I knocked off my first of several  Madison Oaks paintings. I already see several things I want to modify in this one as well as watch out for next time. And there will be a next time, come rain or shine. Now I only need some sort of way to paint in high winds....