Today's painting

OK, I'm WAY out of practice -- it was my first painting venture in over five years. But it's fun to get absorbed in the process, almost regardless of the results.

There were about 20 people "painting the town" today. Most of the others had the good sense to pick a simpler scene and use a smaller canvas! Mine was 16" x 20". We had a total of 7 hours to complete our work, but I only can concentrate on painting for about 3 hours, so that's as long as I painted.

The scene (about a block and a half from my front door):

Here is my artistic interpretation, in oils:

Now I'm ready to paint it again tomorrow and fix the things I don't like about the first attempt. (I'd really like more intensity and drama in the sky and water, and the fence is cartoonishly rendered.) But this is what it is, and it will be on display at the St. Michaels Library for the month of July along with the other artworks from Painting the Town.

I'm painting the town tomorrow

No, no alcohol will be involved, and neither will any triathlon training!

It's a one-day plein air art festival "wherein all members of the community, residents and guests, are invited to paint and draw any subject that depicts and celebrates the Town of St. Michaels." It gets followed up with a show at the town library in two weeks.

I'll take photos too if I remember! It should be fun. I used to do a lot of painting, but haven't been able to do much for about the last five years - like about the time I got pregnant and couldn't be around lead paint and turpentine!