The Perfect Day

Every now and then, you run into the perfect day. You assemble your tools thoughtfully and with care. You drive out to your location in a meditative (and perhaps uncaffeinated) state. You first put your gear down and then take your time to walk about to find the best angle. You go back, pick up your gear and tote it a little further before assembling it. Finally, you size up your scene and --



And you pause here. The next 60 seconds are the most important in the next two hours of painting. You take the time to establish your design, mull over it, draw it out mentally.



Only then does the tip of your brush touch canvas. Now you're on your way to a superior painting!



And so it was for me today. I headed down to Carissa Springs where the cottonwoods are now in all their splendor. In the 60 seconds before touching brush to canvas, I ended up moving a utility pole. Not such a herculean task, and it made the painting worthwhile.



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