Ridge to Reef.. Creque Dam Farm...VI Sustainable Farm

Whatever you want to call it..it's for real and we were there yesterday morning happily painting away! We always enjoy our visits to the farm because it presents a different view of St. Croix from the beaches/sand/sun/tourism thing. This farm has it all: a unique bamboo grove filled with different varieties of bamboo, a bohio, a pond full of life, chickens, roosters, and lots and lots of plants, trees, and bushes. We loved the peacefulness of the morning and were very happy painters! There seemed to be a wide variety of chicken breeds. I came upon this one, outside the chicken netted enclosure. It kept trying to figure out how to get back in. Guess it didn't realize those spaces in te netting weren't big enough for his fat little body to fit through!

Painting in Christiansted

Yesterday only 4 of us showed up to paint; yes, our group is getting down to its "skeleton crew!" Our site parameters had been a radius extending from the waterfront at the fort to include the fort's park and the nearest blocks of Hospital, King and Company Streets. Emy, Elizabeth, and I stayed in the park area while Carolyn set up on the front patio of the hotel on Company Street. Considering it's the summer and off-season, a surprising number of tourists stopped by to comment on our artwork.. they all loved what we were doing and, of course, Elizabeth gave one of her best effots to one of them:^) We were also joined by a bunch of chickens and roosters. Don't know if that'd be called a gaggle but they sure gaggled a lot, inspired me, and entertained us while we painted. It was a lovely morning with great shade and a nice breeze blowing. I had to clamp down my paper palette in two places to keep the pages from flying around! The shade was excellent and our creative juices were flowing! After our picnic table show and tell, we went to the Courtyard Restaurant on Company street, a first for all of us, to sample their lunch menu.

Estate Mt. Washington

We always find Estate Mt. Washington a mystical place to paint.. inspiring, too! As we painted amidst the magical chimes hung in one of the property's magnificent old trees, we could almost feel the spirits of the past peeking over our shoulders! I was running late so instead of doing a plein air, I decided to work on a mocko jumbie painting I'm doing that's going to be a gift to the newly wed daughter of a friend.

A Return to Youth With a Mission

On Friday morning we enjoyed another painting morning on the grounds of Youth With a Mission in Estate Diamond Ruby near Sunny Isle. Once again we were graced with fair skies and lovely breezes. After show and tell, we adjourned to the Starfish Patisserie to enjoy each other's company along with some good sandwiches.