painting in a crowd

Afternoon day 2 in Mark Mehaffey's plein air workshop. We headed over to my neck of the woods, in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore... Where the Platte River flows into Lake Mi.
It was incredibly crowded, sunny and challenging! This gentleman was sitting reading a book...until he wasn't anymore...:-) Oh the challenges of plein air! Painting live in a crowd is not for wimps!
Full disclosure...I did fix a number of things back in the studio.

Big Week....

Had a great surprise last week with an article written about me in the Northern Express... Thanks Al Parker! You can read it HERE.

And then I spent 3 days at Interlochen, learning plein air painting with Mark Mehaffey. 

This is one of my attempts.... (pardon the glare... tough to photograph) Mark gave great instruction on simplifying what's in front of you. (Which is easier said than done) A real challenge with all the activity around the Interlochen campus. 

I also need to give kudos to the Interlochen program... so accommodating. Beautiful campus, and so inspiring to paint to all the snippets of music being played around you all day. Creativity permeates and pulsates throughout the grounds. Highly recommend.

Old Mission Peninsula...

Old Mission Peninsula... 5 x 7 watercolor sketch in my Moleskine

Yet another plein air watercolor sketch from my trip up to northern Michigan last week. Old Mission Peninsula is the land that separates the east and west Grand Traverse Bays. This spot is at the tippy top, northern most point. It's a rather unique shoreline...It appears as if the tide is out....which is impossible, since the great lakes aren't noticeably affected by tides...

I'm spending the day doing prep work (gessoing watercolor paper and making up collage paper) for an upcoming workshop with Robert Burridge in early October....can't wait!

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Point Betsie Lighthouse 5 x 7 In my Moleskine

Another of my plein air sketches from northern Michigan.

I think Point Betsie Lighthouse is one of the prettiest (and probably most painted and photographed) lighthouses in the area....We spent a lovely and blustery afternoon there.
The very best thing about plein air painting is that when you look at your sketches or paintings later...they immediately take you right back to the place and time that you painted it...I can feel the warm breezes and hear the gulls and the wind. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Plein Air...

The Platte River along Lake Michigan Road... 5 x 16 in...Watercolor in my Moleskine

Back from a plein air trip to northern Michigan...Around the Traverse City area. We had absolutely gorgeous weather Tuesday through Friday...I went with 2 painting friends from Canada...We had just a grand time. A great break from routine....

This is the first plein air painting I've done this year! (plein air is painting outside from life)
This is also the very first time this plant has bloomed....in other years the ground hog has devoured it before it could bloom.....I am grateful that it was left alone long enough this year!