Paint Annapolis

Well we didn't get to post while we were there....we were exhausted by the end of every day...we arrived Thursday night...we stayed at the Robert Johnson Inn on State Circle which was perfect because it was right near where we wanted to be. The car stayed in the garage the whole weekend and we walked everywhere....

On Friday we got out and scouted the town. Wow, we ate breakfast at a shop that last year was colorful with a lot of purple, this year, it was completely different. Makes you realize that we as artists record the present which all too soon, can become the past.

I painted a small shop on Maryland Ave on Friday. That's the one I put in the all member show. I called it "Keeping it Simple" because I took the Edward Hopper approach and only put in the details I needed and kept out the clutter. I liked his flat planes so I tried to do the same thing here.

On Saturday morning we got up bright and early for the Dueling brushes contest. What an adventure it was with delivery trucks and cars and all sorts of traffic. Poor Jennifer Young had a Sysco Truck blocking most of her view of the street...we were getting a good dose of painting in the city. I painted an eye catching Irish Pub that was part of Galway Bay. We decided it was time to get that umbrella for my easel. When the sun came over the building, I had to move to the other side of the street so I could see the painting without the glare. I could have really used that umbrella. At 11:45, we walked the painting and easel down to the City Dock where 68 artists were gathering to be judged. It was quite a scene and it was warm. After the judging we headed to the nearest place to grab FOOD!

After we ate, we trekked over to Gloucester Mews and I painted the alley.....later, we headed over to St John's College for the Kenn Backhaus lecture....

I told Kathleen afterwards that they forgot to mention that one of the benefits to Plein Air painting is learning from Mother Nature.....for a Plein Air artist, Mother Nature is the Best Teacher.

On Sunday morning we dropped off "Keeping it Simple.'' We went and grabbed some food and wandered through all the festivals...we dragged my gear but I ended up doing a pastel sketch of the Dock Street area while John watched the Jets. We went over to the Show after the Jets game so we could see all the paintings. We have an amazing group of artists and the show made me proud to be a member of MAPAPA.