What an Artist Does on Vacation

So what does an artist do on their week off?

I painted!

The first two days, I looked at photos, choosing the absolute best ones, and printed several versions of each. I adjusted the levels (the balance of values) on Photoshop, as well as the saturation. If the image had interesting shapes, but looked rather dreary, I adjusted it so that it would look more like the scene that I saw when I took the photograph. Every table in my studio was littered with photographs. What would make the best subject? I wanted to explore a looser style of painting that was less photo-realistic than my other works. As I cleaned my studio on Wednesday (further procrastinating the moment that I would have to face the blank sheet of paper), I noticed a pile of small frames that I purchased several weeks ago. The sizes ranged from 2 ½" x 3 ½" to 8" x 10". I could paint a lot of little paintings, experimenting with style, to fill these frames! I dug out additional photographs from my notebooks, shamelessly choosing images that would look good in the frames. Finally, I began to paint. Starting with the smallest painting, I created three Michigan landscapes.

 On Thursday, I painted a single 8" x 10" image of a harbor scene.

 On Friday. I painted a single 8" x 6" image of a boat sailing.

Saturday, I drove to a farm in Grand Rapids to join other painters with the Plein Air Artists of West Michigan and the Great Lakes Pastel Society. I just did a few little watercolor sketches in my journal, but had a great time interacting with the other artists.

 

What did I accomplish with a week off?

I learned to paint simple scenes quickly. I love the harbor scene that I painted on Thursday, and hope to carry this style through to the next painting. I read books. I took naps. I spent time getting to know other artists. I went to a book club meeting and ate hot sticky marshmallows by the fire. I took photos inside a barn with the light streaming through the cracks in the wood. I visited with my family and watched a polar bear blow bubbles under water.  I began a quilt. I stopped to smell the daisies in my garden.

Now, if I can just overlook the weeds.