Bradley, the 5-year old plein air artist is mentored by Pam Padgett

Last month on the last day of the PAPSE (Plein Air Painters of the Southeast) paintout in Leiper's Fork, TN, my 5-year old granddaughter, Mary Bradley, spent the day with me. She accompanied me into town to see the wet paint sale at Leiper's Creek Gallery and to watch all the artists that were painting around town.

Pam Padgett, Chestnut Group member and PAPSE member, was painting at the Lawn Chair Theater behind the Gallery. We talked with Pam briefly and then went on to look around the rest of the area. When we walked near Pam again, Bradley pulled me to Pam and her easel. Out of all the plein air painters scattered all over town, Bradley was taken with Pam. So we chatted with Pam again, and Pam asked Bradley if she'd like to paint. Of course we all know the answer she gave - a resounding yes!

Pam lowered the easel, attached a fresh panel, and she asked Bradley to look at the pumpkin on the stage. She talked Bradley through how to look at the shape, how to do shadows and highlights. She discussed mixing red and yellow to make orange. With Pam's guidance, Bradley painted that pumpkin.

I loved seeing the attention Bradley and Pam gathered. Leiper's Fork was full of residents, visitors and artists - and many of them came by to watch Pam and Bradley work together. Many took photos. Yes, Bradley was as cute as can be. However, she was also serious. She was 100% into the creative endeavor of painting that pumpkin. She listened attentively as Pam gave her instruction, and she followed it carefully.

In the photo below, you can see the "Porch Sale" in the background with all the beautiful paintings from the PAPSE artists. The paintings go all the way around the building on all four sides. On the other side of the building is the main road going through Leiper's Fork.

Bradley and Pam continued until Bradley finished her pumpkin and signed her painting.

Here is the budding artist with her mentor and completed painting.

Here is Bradley with her finished masterpiece.

And here's a footnote to this story: We took Bradley's painting home and set it out to dry. We told her we'd like to buy her painting, and she finally settled on a price of $20 which we paid her. However, when her parents came to pick her up, she very seriously gave us the $20 back and took her painting home. She loved it so much she couldn't bear to part with it.

And THAT is an example of what art is all about. It's about sharing with children - or others of any age -  the joy and satisfaction of expressing oneself via art. It is sharing how to look at things differently - how to see the shadows and lights - how to combine colors to get the shade we're looking for - how to see the beauty and complexity of our world - how to look beyond the obvious. Thank you to Pam Padgett for so generously giving Bradley an experience she will always remember.

Five New Paintings Added to my Home

I've mentioned before about how three of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAPSE) stayed in our home for the week of October 14 -19 for their Leiper's Fork Paintout. It was a fun and rewarding week. All three are friends that I enjoy being with and admire, and it was a good week of fellowship and painting. One of the customs of the PAPSE artists is that they each give a painting to their hosts. It is an incredibly generous custom because their paintings are not only beautiful but valuable. I didn't know that when I first agreed to host some of them. I was just excited at the prospect of getting to know some professional artists and hopefully glean some tidbits of artistic wisdom from them over the course of their stay. The painting gifts were a bonus!

Last fall, I posted about our September 2018 experience of hosting three of the PAPSE painters. They don't usually have a paintout in the same location two years in a row, but after a hurricane last year, the Florida gallery that was planned for this year had not recovered sufficiently to host them, and so they returned to Leiper's Fork. Next year I believe they're going to Virginia. We hosted for two years in row, but it will be at least another couple years before we have the opportunity to host them again.

This year Jim Carson gave us this wonderful painting of a neighbor's yard a few doors down from us. Amos is a lawn mower repairman, and he does his work under the pole barn/carport. We pass this scene frequently - and Amos and his family are such good neighbors. He's been there for many years - long before we moved here - and is known as an expert with lawn mowers - honest and thorough. He has repaired our lawn mowers several times over the years. We love this painting that reminds us of the "salt of the earth" people that live along our charming country road.

Lawn Mower Repair, oil on 12x16 linen panel

Then Kathie Odom painted this scene in"downtown" Leiper's Fork. A small mobile home was in the parking lot of a little shopping area across the road from where she was set up to paint. That old wagon was there, too; they were being used during the weekend festivities. I watched her paint this, and I immediately loved it! I was thrilled when she gave the painting to me!

One Bed, One Bath, oil on 12x16 linen panel

Here is a photo of her painting it.

Perry Austin gave us this beautiful painting of trees on old Hwy 96 in Leiper's Fork. That's the road that our church is on. Such a beautiful scene! I want to locate the exact scene when I get a chance.

Old 96, Oil on 12x9 board

Those were our three gift paintings from the week of PAPSE in Leiper's Fork!  Amazing, aren't they?

The PAPSE week was filled to bursting with amazing art! Artists wereall over our village of Leiper's Fork and surrounding areas painting local scene. It was an inspiring sight; it was fun to walk around town and watch them paint.

Sometimes paintings really capture my attention and I know immediately I want them for my home. Artist Greg Barnes did the painting below with pastels. I also painted that barn that week - not nearly as well as Greg did, of course, but the fact I painted it made me appreciate this painting even more. The roof of that barn was a green which Greg interpreted with that gorgeous bright turquoisy color that pops beautifully. I love the softness that the pastels give this painting. It took me a few days after the show & sale to decide to buy it, but I am so glad I did. I love it.

Kelly's Barn, pastels on 8x10 panel

It took me even longer to decide to buy this next painting. Since Perry Austin had to leave early because his new granddaughter was born, he asked me to pick up his unsold paintings from the gallery after the sale was over. Of course I told him I would pick them up and ship them back to him. At the last moment, the gallery owner decided to keep one of each artist's paintings for a mini-show for a few weeks. So I kept Perry's other paintings so I could ship them all back at one time. That's how I ended up with two of Perry's paintings displayed on the counter in my art studio so they could continue drying until it was time to ship them back. I kept looking at this painting. It's a painting of downtown Leiper's Fork. The flag is the perfect touch because I see that flag every time I drive into Leiper's Fork. The painting says Leiper's Fork and home to me. I finally realized I would regret not buying it. I now have 3 Perry Austin paintings, and this one is probably my favorite.

Leiper's Fork, oil on 16x12 board 

And I have a photograph of Perry painting it!

Over the past few weeks I have added significantly to my original art collection at home. That's a good thing because I love having art in my home - especially the art of people I know personally. One of my great joys is looking at them all - thinking about the circumstances surrounding each one. I love seeing the way different artists use their colors and brushwork. What better way to decorate one's home than to fill it with beautiful art?

It is probably a good thing I'm not a gallery owner because I'd end up buying more paintings than I'd sell. 

Plein Air Today - My "9 Suggestions for Beginning Artists" article published

 

I am SO excited and honored! A little over a week ago, I decided to re-work the post I made in September with suggestions for beginning artists. I revised, edited, shortened the article and submitted it to Plein Air Today - an online newsletter - which is part of the Plein Air Magazine family. I emailed it to them late last Wednesday evening. Early the next morning I got a reply that they planned to use the article. Immediately.  At their request, I sent them a separate email with photos, captions, and some "about the writer" information. And just a week later, it was published! 

Click THIS LINK to go to my article in Plein Air Today. Enjoy - and share as much as possible.

Outdoor Painters Society Associate Members Show and Sale

I joined the Outdoor Painters Society a few months ago. When I got an email announcing that they would be having the First Annual Associate Members Show and Sale in Corsicana, Texas, I thought I would enter the show. It will be in August and run into September. Each associate member could submit up to 4 paintings. They guaranteed that one painting would be accepted, and no more than two would be accepted.  So I submitted four paintings, and two were accepted.  The two that were accepted were the two of the Golden Gate Bridge that I had painted while in San Francisco for PACE19.

I happen to have photographs of both paintings "in progress" at the Golden Gate Bridge back in April when I was at the conference.

"Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field" in progress, 4/25/2019

"Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field," oil on 11x14 linen panel

"Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End" in progress, 4/27/2019

"Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End" oil on 12x12 canvas panel

My next step is to follow the very detailed directions to box up both paintings and ship them to Texas. They will keep the shipping box to ship them back to me after the show - unless one or both of them sell. Ha! I'd have to have them both sell in order to recoup the money I'm spending with shipping them to Texas. I'm not expecting either to sell. However, at least I have paintings in an official art show, and I'm listed on their web page as one of the "contributing artists."  And that's exciting!

My Monday Plein Air Painting Group

My friend, Sheryl, and I have started plein air painting together every Monday. Each week we've gone to different places and painted. It's great practice, and it gets me actually painting.  

On our first week, we went to the farm of Roy, a friend of ours.  He has a lake in front of his house - with a little covered walking bridge, and then a barn. The location was beautiful, but I am not pleased with this effort at all. I will probably paint over it at some point, or maybe I will try to salvage it. The walking bridge is leaning - and so is the barn. (Carol, get the perspective and basic outlines right before starting to paint!!!!) The banks of the pond are way too "perfect," and don't even get me started on the pitiful trees. However, still it was great practice.

Then we went to the farm of a well known ball player. Ron had met him, and so he gave us permission to paint this log cabin on his farm. He, his wife and kids came by while we were painting and chatted with us for awhile - such nice people!  I like this painting. I would've liked it better if I'd put the house on the other side of the painting or at least not in the bottom corner.  Sheryl was painting the same scene, and I wanted to make mine different. Lesson learned - Paint what you want to paint - two people can paint the same scene from the same perspective - and the results will be different.

The next week we went to Radnor Lake in Nashville.  Several other artists from The Chestnut Group went with us. I had painted this scene last year, but I still painted it again but from a different perspective.  My trees are awful. I'm not happy with this painting at all.  Not sure what I'll do with it.

 After we got home from Radnor, I looked at some of the other photos I'd taken, and I painted this next painting from one of those photos. It's one of the walking trails there, and I like this painting much better. I still need lots of practice painting trees.

Our Monday painting group is growing. It started out as just Sheryl and me. However other people are joining us, and it's a lot of fun.  It's invaluable practice.

PACE19 in San Francisco is a wrap, too!

I attended my second Plein Air Convention and Expo last week.  It was held in San Francisco.  I considered canceling the trip because there has been so much negative press about San Francisco lately - trash everywhere, human feces in the streets, hordes of homeless people. I didn't see all of San Francisco - and there WERE lots of homeless people. However, I didn't see piles of trash - and no feces of any kind on the streets. What I saw of San Francisco is beautiful, and the convention was much better than last year.  Last year everything was so crowded that I couldn't see speakers or the huge monitors.  This year the rooms were bigger - and I could always get a good seat - even for the most popular speakers.

Before heading to San Francisco, I had to select the paintings I would take for the Gallery -  a place right inside the expo area where attendees could pay for an easel and display a painting for sale.  Below are the three paintings that I selected to take. I could only display one at a time, but I decided to take three in case one sold. IF one sold, I would have another one to put on the easel in its place.

What I learned is that the Gallery, for me, is a waste of time and money.  I only saw one painting with a sold sign on it.  I saw a couple paintings that I would have liked to buy, but I couldn't justify buying any paintings when I spent so much to ship my paintings there. None of mine sold. So the last night we were there, I boxed them back up and shipped them back home. Thus I spent several hundred dollars in shipping there and back and learned that I won't waste money on renting easel space at PACE again. I didn't expect to sell any paintings, though. I AM a beginner - but I'm glad I at least tried and took that chance.

Ron and I flew to San Francisco - a direct flight from Nashville - on Tuesday,  April 23rd, and we had a direct flight home on Monday, April 29th.  We spent six really wonderful days there! Lots of great food - great scenery - beautiful city.

Although we got there on Tuesday afternoon, the conference didn't officially begin until Wednesday afternoon.  So we had time to do other things.

As soon as we landed that first afternoon, we explored San Francisco a little bit. We headed to Fisherman's Wharf. I loved that area. Had delicious fish and chips, and then we just walked around the area.

We heard a lot of "barking" and walked over to where there was a floating platform covered with seals. They were huge! A lot of people were on the walkway above the platform looking at them. Look closely at the photo below and you'll see dozens (a hundred, at least) of seals flopped out on the platform. Periodically, they'd all start barking, and that was an impressive sound! It was such fun to watch them swim around and then maneuver their big bodies up and onto the platform. 

From Fisherman's Wharf, we could see Alcatraz Island across the water.  We had signed up for a tour on Wednesday morning (the next day).  So Wednesday we went on the Alcatraz tour, which was fascinating. We got lots of pictures, and we ended up buying several books about the different prisoners and different perspectives of Alcatraz. Here are Ron and me with Alcatraz as the backdrop.

The view of Alcatraz Island from the tour boat.

The view from the boat heading back to San Francisco from Alcatraz.  Love the streets going uphill!

 Our hotel was the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.  This was the view from our room.  Just spectacular.  We were on the 37th floor. We kept the curtains open the whole time because the view - morning, day, night - was beautiful.

On the top floor of the hotel (46th floor, I think) was the Cityscape bar - which served drinks and snacks, and it had the following view.  We went up there several times during the week. They made a pretty good Cosmo, which I enjoyed several times during the week.  We also went out to eat each evening - each time selecting a restaurant that was recommended to us.

A restaurant right across the street from our hotel - the Taylor Street Cafe - had a great breakfast that we tried once - and Ron tried a second time later in the week. I, of course, took the opportunity for Eggs Benedict. I took a photo of this sign that was on the wall, which I thought was cute - and true.

Once the conference began, I attended a bunch of painting demos - but only took a few photos here and there. There was a wealth of information available - and great learning from accomplished artists. Some of the artists were better at painting than talking about painting, but, for the most part, the demos were helpful. I learned a lot, and I have a lot to study and practice now that I'm home again. One of the best was about how to be your own art instructor.  Can't remember who led it, but it was super helpful. I feel that I've attended so many workshops, but haven't had the time/motivation afterwards to implement what I learned. That changes now. Two days ago I started a "paint every day" challenge - painting the same scene five days in a row. That was one of the suggestions in the demo.

Eric Rhoads - the "founder" of PACE and Plein Air Magazine was everywhere. I attended all three days of his Marketing Boot Camp - which means I was up, dressed, and in the main conference room by 6:30 three of the mornings. Eric was well prepared - had good interaction and engagement with the audience. I took many pages of notes, and I learned so very much! I'm not really much interested in marketing my painting at this point.  I'm still a novice artist. However, the information was valuable as I improve my art and work towards someday being able to sell my art.

The paintouts were great.  Imagine HUNDREDS of artists set up in the same general area painting. It was inspiring and fun. First Day of painting (Thursday) - the Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Crissy Field.  I brought my painting home to finish. The shipped paintings were delivered late yesterday.  So tonight or tomorrow I will try to finish it. That was the coldest day during the conference. When I was packing, at the last minute I packed a jacket, and I'm so glad I did. The day at Crissy field, I needed that jacket! The fog covered the top of the Golden Gate Bridge - which gave it a dreamy look. I hope I can make my painting convey that look well.

Second paint-out day (Friday) - Golden Gate Park.  I chose one of the garden areas.  Again, the painting is unfinished.  I will finish it within the next few days.  This photo shows the scene I painted.

Our third paint-out day (Saturday) - the Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Land's End. This was the place that as I walked back to the bus after painting for several hours, I thought to myself, "I LOVE this!"  It was fun!  It was invigorating! I was fascinated walking around and looking at what some of the other artists were painting. Everyone had their own style and way of painting. Truly amazing!  I am really pleased with my work on this one. It will be the first one I finish tonight or tomorrow.  Painting it en plein air, I found that some of the details looked skewed from the photograph.  So I'll work on that, too.

On the final day of the convention (Sunday) - after the expo and gallery and everything else was closed, PACE19 spent the day at the Viansa Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma. Ron spent the day with me, and so I decided not to paint but to sightsee with him. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, and I enjoyed seeing it from this perspective.  

We went by Viansa Vineyard and Winery and took some photos of the other PACE folks painting there. In reviewing the convention, I will make the decision next year to stick with the PACE group on the last day of painting. At the time, there was nothing at the vineyard that really inspired me to paint. However, I missed an opportunity to paint and connect with other painters, and I won't do that again. There were buses to take us to and from the paint-out locations.  I had signed up and paid to ride the bus to all four paint-outs, but when Ron decided not to go out on his own that day, I skipped the bus and rode in the rental car with him instead. We had a good day - sightseeing and seeing some things I wouldn't have seen if I had taken the bus and painted all day at Viansa. So it all balanced out in the end. Here's a photo of some of the PACE19'ers painting at Viansa.

All in all, it was a great six days. Next year's convention is in Colorado - outside of Denver. I've already signed up for it, and I'm looking forward to it. Ron can probably fly his plane to Denver. It will be a long flight in his small Bonanza plane, but do-able in one day. That means I don't have to worry about packing light or shipping things ahead. I can take whatever I want to take without worrying about weight and shipping prices. Plus, in Colorado there will be plenty of things that Ron will enjoy doing on his own while I'm at the convention. It will be fun.

Speaking of Ron - on the days that I was attending demos and riding the bus to paint-outs, he was having a good time on his own.  He spent one day learning to fly a float plane at a place a couple hours outside of San Francisco. He spent another couple days at a gun club about an hour outside of San Francisco. He spent time in China Town with friends he made at the gun club. So he was able to do things he really enjoyed doing while I was "art-ing".  He's been wanting to learn to fly a float plane for years. I was so happy he finally was able to do that.  It was a good mix of each of us spending time doing what we enjoyed during the day - and then being together in the evenings to eat dinner and talk. Good time all around.

Packing to Paint in Italy

I will be 70 in a few months, and in March I will use my passport for the first time in my life. I can't believe I am so un-traveled! We will be staying in a villa in Gaiole, Chianti which is near Siena which is in the Tuscany area. We will stay at that villa each of the nine nights we will be in Italy. We will do day trips and excursions from there. We wanted our first trip to Italy to be low-key and relaxing. So no big tours in the major cities - just settling in for a few days and getting to know one small area.

And I want to paint while I'm there! I've spent a LOT of time thinking about what to take in order to be able to paint but not be loaded down with too much luggage. I THINK I have it figured out.  Here's my art packing list:

• A Masterson 12 x 16 Palette with palette paper inside
• Water-soluble oil paints (limited palette) which I will wrap individually and place inside the Masterson palette for travel. 
• 1 tube of Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel (placed inside the Masterson palette with the paints)
• Brushes in a cloth roll
• A very lightweight folding easel
• Three PanelPaks - a 9 x 12, an 11x14, and a 12 x 12.  That's 6 panels. I was originally going to take a 9x12 Ray-Mar wet panel carrier that hols 6 panels - but it is heavier than the PanelPaks. (I may leave the 9x12 PanelPak at home.  If I come home with 4 paintings, that will be fantastic.  I seriously doubt I will do 4 - much less 6!)

Those supplies should easily fit in my suitcase, with plenty of room for my clothes and toiletries. Ron and I will be packing only about 3 changes of clothes each. There is a washing machine in our villa, and we will do a load of clothes a couple times while we're there, and thus we won't need many clothes.

My plan is to sit on the patio of the villa to paint - or inside if it's too chilly to be outside. I've looked at the photos of our villa, and there are plenty of chairs and tables. I can set up the easel, put the palette on one of the tables and sit in a chair to paint. With our excursions, I won't have time to paint more than 6 paintings,  As a matter of fact I'll be surprised if I paint that many! I don't plan on doing any plein air painting away from the villa. So I won't be hauling painting supplies around Italy!  LOL! I will take photos during our sightseeing and exploring, and I will paint from the photos after returning to the villa. I might do plein air painting AT the villa, though. From the photos, it seems to be situated in a very scenic area - with vineyards and gorgeous scenery all around. We'll see. I know how promotional photos can skew reality.

Using water-soluble paints will keep me from having to deal with solvents. I will include the TSA label that all the art folks tell me should be put with the art supplies in the suitcase. The top one is for the Masterson palette box with the water-soluble paints inside, and the other one is for the PanelPaks on the way home when, hopefully, there will be completed painting inside.

Three Painting at my Mother's

I spent the past week with my mother in Georgia. There was much to do there, and it was several days before I had time to paint. But then I set up my art easel/palette, and other supplies in the breakfast room. There's a nice antique round wooden table in there that I covered with newspaper, then set up my Coulter easel beside it. Each time I started to paint, my mother would come in and sit at the table and watch me - asking questions, making comments, and offering suggestions. It was a tender time spent with my mother . . . and I finished 3 paintings while there.

This first one is a scene from Radnor Lake in Nashville.  I went there last year to hike for awhile, and I took a lot of photographs.  This is one scene that I thought was particularly beautiful. I loved the path to the water - with the trees on either side - the hills on the far side of the lake. The colors are prettier, I think, in the actual painting. The photo washes it out a bit. Radnor Lake is such a beautiful place - lots of trails through the woods and beside the lake.

Roaming Around Radnor, Oil on 16x20 board

For the second painting, I decided to paint a scene I photographed at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico when I was in Santa Fe and the surrounding area for the Plein Air Convention and Expo (PACE) last April.  Ghost Ranch was where Georgia O'Keefe spent her last years.  The scenery was breath-taking, and it was very different from anything I would ever see in Tennessee or Georgia!  And technically, I'm not finished with this.  My sister, Joan, suggested that the tree and the hill to the left of the center have too similar outlines - and they do.  So when I get a chance to get up in my studio, I will make some changes to either the tree or the hill.

Ghost Ranch Panorama, Oil on 16x20 panel

For my last painting while visiting my mother, I decided to do another scene from Radnor Lake. I had taken a photograph of a walking path with a wall along the side of it.  There was actually a man walking almost at the end of the path, but so far I haven't been able to make him look realistic in the painting.  So I've taken him out each time I've tried to put him in. Now that I'm home again and can work on it in my studio, I may try to add the walker again.  It really shouldn't be THAT difficult.  In the photograph, he is just a dark shape far away.  On the evening that I painted this, my sister, Beth, was also there working on her own art. As I painted this, I showed her how my various art teachers taught me to start with the darkest shapes - to concentrate on the "big shapes."  And the picture DID "emerge" from those shapes.  My mother came in and offered some great suggestions.  It was a fun experience.

Down the Path at Radnor, oil on 11x14 board

A Workshop with Kevin Menck

This past weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), I took a plein air workshop with Kevin Menck. As it turned out, there were only four people in the class. So we each received a lot of help from Kevin.

On Friday, we went to Green's Grocery in Leiper's Fork where Kevin did a demo. Then my friend, Sheryl, who was also in the class, invited us to her house for lunch. After lunch we met at Garrison Creek which is the first exit after you get on the Natchez Trace in Leiper's Fork heading west. We looked around the creek, and I picked out this scene to paint. I didn't take a photo while we were outside - I keep forgetting to photograph my painting with the actual scene in the background. I finished it (added the tree reflections in the water - and worked on the foreground a little) in my studio at home. The actual painting looks better than the photograph of the painting. The photograph makes it look grainier.

Then on Saturday, we just about froze to death (it was 32 degrees outside) while Kevin did a demo outside on the side of the road entering the Natchez Trace.  We had brought folding chairs - and I happened to have two blankets in the back of my car - so I wrapped one around me and gave the other one to another student.  It was COLD!!!  Ron was nice enough to bring us hot coffee - which was wonderful! We convinced Kevin that after lunch (at Sheryl's again!) we should paint inside. So we met up at Green's Grocery again in Leiper's Fork, and we each painted using one of Kevin's paintings as a reference. I chose a painting that had a house and barn - and here is my version of it. It's my favorite painting from the workshop.

Sunday was a much better day in terms of weather - warmer and sunny.  We went to a farm on Bailey Road in Leiper's Fork. I chose a fence row with a large tree in the foreground and a pasture and some hills in the background.  It's my least favorite painting for the workshop. That large tree was my nemesis for the day. Since it is November, most of the leaves had fallen off, but there were still some hanging on - and I had the hardest time showing that in the painting.  I painted it, scraped it off, and painted it again.  I like the play of shadows in the foreground which was one of the reasons I chose that scene. I had told Kevin my goal was to paint the scene entirely from looking at the actual scene - and not taking a photo and looking more at the photo than the scene. So I accomplished that. I didn't look at a photo of the scene at all; it was painted entirely en plein air.  

This was my second Kevin Menck workshop.  I like his style of painting, although I'm probably a little tighter of an artist than he is.  He's good at helping me to be a little looser - to concentrate of big shapes and values rather than getting bogged down with unnecessary details.  It was a good workshop.

Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE)

Back in September, the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast had a paintout and art show in Leiper's Fork.  I WISH I were a good enough painter to be a member, but that is currently way out of the realm of possibility. However, I am a member of the Chestnut Group, and the Chestnut Group acted as hosts for the PAP-SE group.  We were asked if we would be willing to host some of the painters in our homes.  After talking it over with Ron last spring, I said, "sure."  So three artists spent a week with us - Perry Austin, Jim Carson, and MaryO Smith.  MaryO is the artist I worked with when Ron and I went to Sea Island last winter. We had never met Perry or Jim before.  And Perry's wife, Carol, was here with him - and we loved getting to know her, too. It was a fun group of people.

I was a little nervous about having three strangers spend a week with us, but it turned out great, and all my concerns were laid to rest within a few minutes of the artists' arrival.  By the time they all left on Saturday, we hugged like old friends.  It was a most enjoyable week!  We sat out on the deck and had drinks and appetizers in the evenings, ate breakfast around the kitchen table in the mornings, and just did a lot of talking.  They painted much of the day - and were in and out.  There were a couple of evening activities that Ron and I were invited to since we hosted some of the artists, and that was so much fun. We got to know many of the artists, and when they had their "wet paint" sale on that Friday and Saturday, I could have easily spent many thousands of dollars on paintings.  Perry, especially, had one I really loved of the chicken house behind our house - and another one of the farm behind us on Carters Creek Pike.  And my friend, Sheryl, beat me to a gorgeous painting by Kathie Odom. My goal for the next year or two is to buy a Kathie Odom painting - but I want to wait until I find one the "speaks" to me.

The artists that stayed at our house each gave us an original oil painting as a gift for our hospitality - which, if you think about it, is a pretty amazing and valuable gift!  Perry painted "Gnarly Oak" for us - and I will treasure that painting always. Ron and I have loved that tree since we first saw it when were walking on our land.  It was "Gnarly Elm" for awhile until we figured out it was an oak instead of an elm.  Here is his painting.  I love it!

 Jim gave us a painting he had done previously - a house with a dirt road leading up to it - really beautiful. I love his loose and impressionistic style.  

 Then MaryO painted Ron's John Deere tractor - and she gave that painting to us.We both love the painting, but Ron, especially, does since it's his tractor and he has so many memories of working with and on that tractor! MaryO also did a couple other paintings from around our house - of the wildflowers at the front of the driveway, and of a tree near the front.  Both beautiful paintings.  

I loved having the artists here.  It was a great week.

While the PAP-SE artists were in town, I signed up for two mentoring sessions. The first mentoring session was with Dawn Whitelaw - a wonderful artist that I had heard about and had seen when I've taken classes at On Track Studios where she has a studio.  She, another mentee, and I went to Justin Timberlake's farm here in Leiper's Fork, and painted a barn there. Dawn was very helpful, and although she did her own painting, she kept a careful watch on her mentees, and came over to me often giving suggestions for improving my painting.  Here is an "in-progress" photo that shows the actual barn in the background - and then the finished painting.

My second mentoring session was with MaryO, but I didn't end up with a painting from that one.  She did, though.  LOL! So, alas, I don't have a painting or even part of one to show for that experience.

All in all, it was a great week. We made new friends, I learned so much about painting, and it was simply fun. If PAP-SE ever comes back to Nashville, I will be volunteering immediately to host some artists again - especially if "our" artists return.