focus

     Three days ago I did well painting outside in the snow. Now it was Saturday night, Feb 13th, and I was driving Jan home from Kansas City. It was clear to me I had seen the last snow, right? When I got home I checked the Internet and discovered snow showers were to come from the east Sunday morning. Hmm. Driving back and forth from The City (Kansas City)  has sapped my energy. I usually gave myself a day to recuperate before doing work that required lots of thinking. Hmm. The late evening idea of painting early the next morning has me thinking about it. Soon I have had my bedtime cocoa and have asked the Lord to get me ready. Please get me up in time. The weatherman said the dusting would come at 6 am and finish by 9 am. Another request came before the Lord: What could I find that was tall enough to put the camera on and still fit in the car? Leaving my glasses on the nightstand, I rolled out of bed and wandered through the house. The upside down stool in the kitchen caught my eye. Good. Thank you, Lord. Another request for Him: And help me remember the cleaned brushes on the table, Jesus. Thank you! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Sunday, Feb. 14th, at five a.m. I was up, no snow on the ground. Hmm. Got ready anyway. 5:45 it was 18 degrees out and snow pellets were coming down. 6:15 loaded car along with the cleaned brushes from the table, started car heater. 6:40 headed out, full from breakfast. 7:00 arrived, checked the markers by the road.

By 8:02 the scene was set up, there was a 16 by 20 panel on the easel. And then, the thought came to me-- why not do this. Soon the 30 by 40 inch canvas was strapped to the easel. The contortionist painter reached behind the canvas and used bungee cords to lash the wooden canvas supports to the side of the easel legs. Whew.

    Used hot water from the thermos for the water bucket. And discovered that tube paint mixed on the palette with the brush became slushy crystals. Oooo. And yes, the disappointment of finding my spritz water bottle was F-R-O-Z-E-N. Ha. Yes, yes.

    The remedy was warm water on brush teased the slush crystals back to a usable state. Each time you mixed or loaded the brush with paint. It worked.

Twenty-eight minutes. Stages, next.

I was interested in snow on top of a short wide log, a leaning hollow trunk on the far side, snow on melting ice, the stream bubbling underneath, two branches at my feet, bank trunks on the other side. All this reaching, drawing with paint, hurry, focus, paint, look down, mix colors -- uh oh -- the snow is evaporating before my eyes, hurry hurry, focus, paint.

A log, next.

Lean hollow trunk on far side

Melting snow on ice, and two branches at my feet

At 10:30 AM I set canvas carefully in the trunk to set flat. Hope it can dry in the trunk. Went to look at two scenes. 11:00 painting is not drying. Carefully set painting flat inside car with heater on, for paint to set up and dry. Eat half of sandwich, heat up my boots in car. 11:21 lifted painting out of car. Set up on easel. Secure bungee cords.

The snow was evaporating on the creek bed. Mutter, mutter. 12:21 pm end. 12:38 load car, head home. 1:00 pm home. Download photos and videos. Painting hung on living room wall.

Bluff Creek No.4 Snow

30 x 40 inches

wraparound canvas

Feb 14, 2016