After I’m done careening around like a madwoman…

Watercolor of schooner American Eagle

Watercolor of schooner American Eagle
Watercolor of schooner American Eagle, by Carol L. Douglas

My dog always knows when Iā€™m getting ready to leave. He attaches himself to me, following me from place to place as I go through my workday. I donā€™t think Iā€™m dropping non-verbal clues. I think heā€™s listening to my conversations and understands far more than we think dogs are capable of.

Iā€™m heading down to Rockport, Massachusetts today for Cape Ann Plein Air. This is a premier plein air event; a number of people I havenā€™t seen since the start of the pandemic will be there.

When I get home, I have a week to get organized and then itā€™s off to Sedona Plein Air. There, I know only Ed Buonvecchio and juror John Caggiano. Heā€™ll also be at Cape Ann as a painter this week. Thatā€™s not as weird as it sounds. Thereā€™s really nobody better to judge plein air painting than a fellow plein air artist.

Red rocks of Sedona, oil on canvas, Carol L. Douglas, available.

Then itā€™s home in time to set up my schedule for 2023. I have four firm dates on my calendar so far:

  • Toward Amazing Color, Sedona, AZā€”March 20-24, 2023. Sedona is a stunningly beautiful place thatā€™s steeped in art history. What better place to learn about color than among the towering red sandstone bluffs, the muted greens of the chaparral, and that big, blue sky? An added plus for northernersā€”Sedona is warm in March!
  • Watercolor workshop aboard schooner American Eagleā€”June 20-24, 2023. This is the summer solstice, which gives us the longest possible period in which to paint. All professional-quality materials are included, and we welcome painters at all levels. In addition to wonderful sailing on an historic vessel, there are beautiful village walks and calm rows around quiet harbors.
  • Sea & Sky at Schoodicā€”August 6-11, 2023. This is in Acadia National Park, one of the nationā€™s true beauty spots. Since accommodations are available at the Institute, it saves you the trouble of looking for a hotel in an area thatā€™s truly back of beyond.
  • Watercolor workshop aboard schooner American Eagleā€”September 16-20, 2023. Again, all materials are included, and we welcome painters at all levels. This is my favorite time to sail, as the waterā€™s warm and the skies are magnificent. Changing foliage glows against the dark evergreen trees and the deep blues of the bay.

Magnificent Schoodic Point

These workshops arenā€™t up on my website yet, although you can register for Sedona directly. Iā€™ve been a one-woman shop and Iā€™m very busy in the summer. This fall, however, Iā€™m doing things a little differently. My daughter Laura Boucher has been helping me with IT, video, and other online material. Of course, she can only publish what I give her, and Iā€™m just learning about this stuff.

If youā€™ve eyeballed these workshops in prior years, nowā€™s the time to pencil in the dates and email me to make sure you get the updated information as soon as itā€™s published. My workshops regularly sell out.

My gallery has closed for the season. Paintings donā€™t benefit from the wide temperature swings we see in October, so theyā€™re bundled up cozily in their storage unit.

Painting aboard American Eagle

Our timing was perfectā€”on Sunday we took down the tent and on Monday four cords of firewood were dropped in the adjacent lawn. Somehow, I need to make the time to stack it.

This autumn would have been even more chaotic had surgery not forced me to slow down earlier this month. My favorite meme recently is ā€œAdulthood is saying ā€˜But after this week things will slow down,ā€™ over and over until you die.ā€ At times, it sure feels that way.