Yep, I did it again. I participated in the Rose Festival Paint Out. The schedule was pretty much the same as last year. We started on Friday and painted in the afternoon and then do a night painting. The Saturday sessions were painting on a local plantation early in the morning and the new idea was a “Quick Draw.” In an hour and a half, the painters would paint an item and then the public attending the event would vote the winner. And while Friday was beautiful, Saturday was rainy and cloudy and the Quick Draw was rained out.
My first piece was a building at Broad and Jackson in Thomasville. I really enjoyed this painting. My favorite part was the lamp post believe it or not. The lamps were just wonderful and the trees seemed to hug the lamps and almost looked like two eyes for the tree. It was a three hour session and we had a bunch of people stop and yell “Geaux Tigers” as I painted when Day was with me. The best part is the painting sold during the VIP opening at the Wiregrass Gallery.
Our second session was a night session and all I did was cross the street to paint a wonderful building. This was also a three hour session but because of the street sweepers, I was only able to paint for an hour and a half. The dust and smoke from the sweepers made painting difficult and miserable. So I packed up my easel and paints and went home to rest and get ready to paint the next morning. I did manage to produce something but it was nothing like I had planned.
The painting I produced was at best mediocre. And I was able to work it a
little bit the next day but I
am pretty sure it will never sell. However, I do planned to go back and rework the painting. The night painting session was my favorite session last year and I was really disappointed this time.
The early morning session at Susina Plantation was wonderful. Susina Plantation is a 100+ acre estate that has a pool house, stables, a vineyard and a guest house. There were several old buildings and several vistas that were idyllic and peaceful. It was a grey foggy morning and the colors were slightly different than on a sunny day. It was a beautiful rainy day and I found the perfect painting for me to do. An old barn that was blue, orange and grays surrounded by several trees. The boards were weathered and the door was metal and was an orange aged color.. I spent three hours under a beach umbrella having a blast. I definitely enjoyed the session.
The best part of the Paint Out was seeing fellow artists I have worked with before and meeting new ones. All in all, we had 19 artists participating, 9 more than last year. And some of my fellow artists from Moultrie also participated. I want to thank Rebecca Hinton at Wiregrass Gallery in Thomasville, GA for a wonderful event.