Predictions of stiff winds and heavy thunderstorms due to TD Fay gave me serious second thoughts as I drove to Frederiksted Friday morning to paint outdoors. However, the rains had abated and I had other early business there anyway, so I went. Arrived on the site around 8:50, set up the
Palletteers sign of which I am now in charge, grabbed my camera, and did a walk about the property, looking mainly for places providing cover that also had a view that I wanted to paint: Many such views, few such shelters. Being a newbie at plein air, I'm not as easily inspired or easily as creative as some of our veteran Palletteers who can turn a road in a pasture into a magical scene on their paper. So I took lots of photos and went back to my car to see if anyone had arrived and think about what I wanted to paint. One of the problems of painting on location in questionable weather is the "gear' one has to cart to the site, unpack, and set up. Setting up, in my case, involves a julian easel, pallette box, paints, mixes, and a canvas... and once I'm set up it also includes a wet pallette along with my 2 open containers of liquids needed to mix with my paints and clean my brushes. So I end up with a lot of "stuff" that would have to be quickly dismantled, packed and returned to the car in case of a bad turn in the weather. True, a sudden downpour won't wreak the damage on my painting that it would on a watercolor or acrylic painting, but remember that oil and water do not like to mix. So, as I sat in my car, thinking about what I wanted to paint, I also spent time thinking about whether I wanted to cart all my "stuff" over to my chosen site, the
cockpit animal mill. I decided instead to just take my canvas and drawing supplies and draw while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Did that and actually enjoyed my time in the tunnel-like enclosure I'd chosen for my shelter, and then returned to the car. By now it was 10AM and I'd decided that if no one else had come, I'd go home to paint, instead. Got to my car, put my drawing supplies into the back, and who should drive up but Emeline, who'd come to write! We talked about the no-show situation and decided to adjourn to Turtles for hot tea and a sweet instead. As it happened, the morning's dire weather predictions never came true. We Cruzans are really spoiled, eh? We don't swim in the wintertime because the water is "too cold" (but all the tourists love it!), we get a smidgeon of rain and decide the day isn't nice enough to paint outdoors... Hope to see you all here next week, rain or shine!
Ginger
Jeanne's email about painting at the Botanical Garden prompted a reply from former St. Croix resident and a "forever Palletteer" Judy Smith who reminisced about her time volunteering at the Garden's nursery every Tuesday. She sent a photo of a painting that she and her husband John had purchased at one of the Garden's art shows. 
Jeanne sent some more photos from our morning of painting at Chenay. I'm busy working on an oil of the colorful kayaks on the easter side of the beach while Brenda's watercolor shows some beached hobie cats on the shore looking west.
Palletteers painting Mt. Washington
Predictions of stiff winds and heavy thunderstorms due to TD Fay gave me serious second thoughts as I drove to Frederiksted Friday morning to paint outdoors. However, the rains had abated and I had other early business there anyway, so I went. Arrived on the site around 8:50, set up the Palletteers sign of which I am now in charge, grabbed my camera, and did a walk about the property, looking mainly for places providing cover that also had a view that I wanted to paint: Many such views, few such shelters. Being a newbie at plein air, I'm not as easily inspired or easily as creative as some of our veteran Palletteers who can turn a road in a pasture into a magical scene on their paper. So I took lots of photos and went back to my car to see if anyone had arrived and think about what I wanted to paint. One of the problems of painting on location in questionable weather is the "gear' one has to cart to the site, unpack, and set up. Setting up, in my case, involves a julian easel, pallette box, paints, mixes, and a canvas... and once I'm set up it also includes a wet pallette along with my 2 open containers of liquids needed to mix with my paints and clean my brushes. So I end up with a lot of "stuff" that would have to be quickly dismantled, packed and returned to the car in case of a bad turn in the weather. True, a sudden downpour won't wreak the damage on my painting that it would on a watercolor or acrylic painting, but remember that oil and water do not like to mix. So, as I sat in my car, thinking about what I wanted to paint, I also spent time thinking about whether I wanted to cart all my "stuff" over to my chosen site, the cockpit animal mill. I decided instead to just take my canvas and drawing supplies and draw while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Did that and actually enjoyed my time in the tunnel-like enclosure I'd chosen for my shelter, and then returned to the car. By now it was 10AM and I'd decided that if no one else had come, I'd go home to paint, instead. Got to my car, put my drawing supplies into the back, and who should drive up but Emeline, who'd come to write! We talked about the no-show situation and decided to adjourn to Turtles for hot tea and a sweet instead. As it happened, the morning's dire weather predictions never came true. We Cruzans are really spoiled, eh? We don't swim in the wintertime because the water is "too cold" (but all the tourists love it!), we get a smidgeon of rain and decide the day isn't nice enough to paint outdoors... Hope to see you all here next week, rain or shine!
Although only 4 of us showed up to paint at Emeline's yesterday morning, our small number didn't dampen the morning's enjoyment at all! Each one of us found something different to paint: Emy painted a view of Hovensa in the distance, Sondra captured a corner of the porch, Ginger did some gardening tools, and Marilyn painted Emy painting. Afterwards, while munching on yummy cookies provided by our hostess for dessert, Emeline entertained us by reading several of her original stories.
Friday morning, August 1, our little group met at the Estate Little Princess Nature Conservancy and were immediately enthralled by the fantastic flamboyant tree (poincianna)full of vibrant red blooms near the sugar mill. Despite the preceeding day's thunderstorms, the sun shone brightly all morning so all of us set up on the greathouse's covered porch to paint. There were only a few of us on island this week: Sondra, Emy, Freda,Gene, and moi (Ginger)... but we enjoyed the comaraderie. Unfortunately, because our members left at different times, there was no "show and tell", so no chance to photograph everyone's finished painting. Instead the finale to our morning was the unexpected arrival at noon of Heiko who came to finish a painting he'd begun earlier in the week. Needless to say, it also included the aforementioned flamboyant! :^)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzEmy's porch 4th of July. No fireworks here but what a great way to welcome in the day! Not shown was Melissa K showing us her efforts in creating a Palletteer blogsite. Today's efforts will be our first entries onto the site. Now that's my kind of fireworks!
