Sometimes youāre just painting to survive.
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| My second painting, still untitled. |
I know there are painters who can work all day and never so much as dirty a fingertip. I donāt understand them and they donāt understand me. Iām usually covered with paint by the end of the day. When traveling, one of my greatest challenges is keeping paint off my rental car. To that end I have a large cardboard box lining the cargo bay, but that still leaves the doors and upholstery for me to ruin. Iāve tried taping plastic across the interior, but it inevitably comes loose and wraps itself around my stuff, making a further mess.
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| My first painting, also untitled as of yet. I have a small change I’d like to make. |
I like baby wipes for getting paint off. āHuggies are the best,ā Jeanne Echternachtold me. I wish Iād listened. The house-brand from Albertsonās isnāt doing much. Of course, it might be the climate. It does weird stuff to paint, things you might not expect. My dry-time, for example, is far slower than Iād anticipated, and the brushes I accidentally left at room temperature didnāt dry out overnight. Considering how arid it is here, thatās odd.
Two weeks ago today I had surgery on my left foot. Iāve still got stitches and both feet are wrapped. Iām painting seated, but on a very limited schedule. Yesterday I managed 6.5 hours and had to come back to the ranch and elevate my feet.
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| Drawing horses with Bill Rogers. Photo courtesy of Jane Chapin. |
Thatās fine for this event, which only demands two or three paintings from us, depending on how you count. What I canāt do is get in my car and drive in search of red rocks in AbiquiĆŗ or elsewhere.
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| The fine curs who have kept me company. Photo courtesy of Jane Chapin. |
Painter Jane Chapinshows me a little town in the mountains. Itās high, dusty and dry, and has fewer than a hundred people. There are no services. It canāt handle any kind of influx, so Iām not identifying it for you, but itās a slice of old New Mexico. Old houses, old cars, and some fine mongrel dogs. The residents are friendly, but theyāre not particularly interested in what weāre doing. That leaves me lots of time to do my thing. This may be the first show ever that I donāt hand out a single business card.
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| Scout, by Carol L. Douglas. He’s a beauty. |
On Sunday, William Rogers and I spent the morning drawing horses. Bill was interested in working them up as a painting; I was just messing around. It is usually too frenzied to draw for fun at these events, so it was a special opportunity. It was the first time Iāve ever drawn a donkey.
I have four paintings in various states of completion and I need to ponder them. Then back into the SUV and down the road again. I won’t have human company, but I never feel alone with the dogs hanging around.
My guess is you will leave the convention with oodles of friends out this way, but if you ever want a roadtrip painting partner in any of the 4-corners states, give me a shout. I know the places, have a crappy painty car, or truck with camper, and have the freedom, for now, to use them.
Not at the convention, at Santa Fe Plein Air Fiesta. But thank you!
You're painting in my element now. Ahhhhhh I can smell the horse smells when I look at your horse painting. I love that horse painting. Perhaps I could be your "get me this, get me that" someday. Just saying. š
Thanks, Annette!