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| "Oak Creek Shadows" - sold! |
The Quick Draw is sometimes seen as the ultimate test of the plein air painter. In two hours, you are expected to create a one-shot masterpiece with bravura, frame it and then transport it safely to the display area. This is hard enough when you're off on your own, but it's even harder with a vocally curious public at your elbow. Imagine a ballet dancer - and now imagine that ballet dancer being pelted with questions about where she's from and where she got her training as she tries to execute a quadruple pirouette. Luckily, my experience has been that most of the public has been well-trained and just watches. I'm always happy to narrate as I paint, of course, and I do if someone is nearby.
I got to the Quick Draw location about an hour early. Some artists go the day before to scope out locations; I'm familiar enough with the creekside area of the Los Abrigados resort to not have to. But I did want to get there early enough to get my spot. I had a couple in mind. One was a large sycamore with a fantastic, Medusa-like collection of roots. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided the complex root structure would give me fits. (It might be something I'll tackle on a day when I'm painting for myself.) So, I settled on a more calming scene with water and strong contrast. The rain we had the day before has made all the creeks run red, and the red was a beautiful accompaniment to the yellowing greens.
The painting went well, and it sold during the sale following the Quick Draw. I was happy about that, as it made up for the Main Street paintout day in which someone bumped into the finished painting with disastrous results. Kevin Macpherson complimented me on the painting's strong color, and that made me happy, too.
I spent the rest of the day framing up pieces, and then we delivered them to the Sedona Arts Center. The hanging is this morning (Friday), and tonight is the Gala Event. It's time to get the paint out of my hair!
