I'm Talking About The Beach

Earlier this week I was in beautiful Hilton Head, SC for a work conference. So when the conference ended at noon on Tuesday, I did a quick painting on the beach before I left. It was really nice to stand barefoot in the sand, enjoy the ocean breeze and paint away. An interesting thing is that in the painting you'll see that in the distance, the sand perfectly started reflecting the sky and trees. It really looked like there was a pool of water left as the tide went out, but I wasn't sure and it was too far to walk down and check it out. I committed to painting it as I saw it. However I was wanting to know as it was such a compelling feature in the scene, like seeing a pearl in an oyster. A bit later I noticed a guy behind me taking a picture of me and my painting. Now, this is something I've come to love. It is a great feeling when you are doing something such that complete strangers go out of their way to talk to you, take a picture of you, and on occasion have their picture made with you. In the past, I'd really dread passers-by. Mainly because in the beginning of my plein air excursions my paintings were pretty bad. I did get some interesting comments back then. One of the best was one day John and I were out and I was really doing something awful to a canvas. A woman came up, saw the painting and said "I like it". When I looked at her with surprise, she added "I like all kinds of art". She may have thought I was doing abstract art. Even after I improved I avoided onlookers. I'd go out of my way to find isolated spots or distance myself from fellow painters as to discourage traffic. Some of that was trying to minimize distractions as I was trying to focus so hard on the elements of making a picture. Not anymore. While I still need to focus more on various elements of painting, I love it when people approach me at work. The feedback is valuable, the interaction is rewarding and the praise is encouraging and validating. If you are reading this and have come up to me in the field - thank you. Even if you are the kid that asked what I was painting. So about this guy taking the picture. He noticed that I painted the reflection and asked me "Is that a mirage?" I told him that I wasn't 100% sure, but I thought it was a reflection off the sand although it really looked like some pool of water, or maybe some curvature to the beach. He and lab then continued their run. A bit later, he came back and confirmed it was the sand. Just knowing that tidbit helped as I finished the painting. So sometimes passers-by even directly help you with your painting. And it is very appreciated.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
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