Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Followers!  Here's a sketch of some turkeys in my backyard in Maine that I did this summer.

Open heart surgery ahead so I'm grateful for great doctors who can fix serious problems.  And I'm grateful for friends and family who are so helpful.  And I'm thanksful for people who are interested in my art.  Have a fine day!

A Painting Getaway

Between the election and some personal health concerns, I needed a break.  So yesterday I joined a small group from the St. Louis Watercolor Society at Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri which is an hour and a half from my home for a day of plein air painting.  It was a bright, sunny day with perfect temps.  And I can testify that painting beside a babbling brook is most restorative!

My friend and fellow painter Dave Anderson did a great job of setting all this up.  We teamed up and painted near each other in both the morning and afternoon.  This is an old watermill near a trout pond.

Back to the main lodge for a buffet lunch and camaraderie with my fellow artists.

I was not as happy with my second effort but will post it all the same.

Driving back to St. Louis, with the sun low in the sky, was a delight.  The trees on the hills seemed to be lit up from the inside with that special orange glow.  The nearly full moon was on the rise, and sunset was cloud-perfect.  I was most content and ready to go out again soon.

So when you get a nice day, don't waste it.  Get out there and paint.  If nothing else, it will keep your mind off your troubles!