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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Wayne Plein Air

The show is over and the week in Wayne, PA painting in the Wayne Plein Air Festival was quite an experience!

Well organized and held in an area rich with subject matter, the only thing that didn't cooperate was the weather. We had rain off and on for all but two days and I discovered that I don't do my best work crammed into a car while the rain pours outside. You can't get any distance on your work!

The evening of the first day was an orientation of the area, with suggested properties to visit (owners had given permission to paint there). I spotted several roadside views, but parking like that is always a problem. Safety is a concern in that kind of situation.

The next two days were full of thunderstorms, but I still managed to create three paintings. Ridley State Park was where I settled after checking out a number of new areas.

Thursday was the only truly sunny day and I painted on the side of Darby Paoli Road, and spent most of the day at Androssan Farm. This is the last of the big estates in Radnor area and was used as the basis for the movie "Philadelphia Story" starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. We had special permission to roam around the estate which is normally closed to the public. It will soon be broken up and sold off (so sad!).

Friday was a wash out…literally… as it poured rain all day. Streets were flooded and I took that time to do more framing.

By Saturday I was exhausted! That morning we were to paint in town. My effort was a real stinker, so I didn't even bother to turn it in.

The opening truly WAS "gala" with champaign, wine, a feast of dishes, and lots of sales. Approximately 180 artists applied, 31 were chosen, and they produced over 250 works of art! The paintings will stay up through July at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA.

Oh! And I got and Honorable Mention!

Along Darby-Paoli Road   9x12   pastel on sanded paper

Monday, May 12, 2014

Heading out

This week I will be participating in the Wayne Plein Air art festival in Wayne, PA, and the first order of business is to cram everything I might need into something that is portable….and light enough that I can actually lift it. No small task.

So after stripping everything down to the bare essentials I have two bags. One for pastels and one for watercolors. I will pick which one I want to use at the beginning if each day and head out. I am rather proud of how small a space it takes up. Watercolor is on the left, Pastel on the right, and the tripod that I will use for both in its bag in the center.



Well….ok….It doesn't show the umbrella I will take for shade, or the wheely crate in case I have to do a lot of walking around town, or the folding chair (in case I want to sit down), or extra plastic bags in case it rains (which it is supposed to), or my big floppy hat, sunscreen, plastic poncho (rain again), rope and or bungie cords for tie downs, drawing and sketching materials, and a bag lunch and water, and first aid kit.


Oh yeah….I forgot about the framing materials. All paintings must be framed and ready for hanging before they are judged. So I must take frames, glass, mats, backing, and all tools it takes to put it all together on the spot.

I guess it's good that I drive an SUV………

Here's the reason I go to all this trouble.

"Dancing Birches"    9x12     pastel on sanded paper