We arrived in Columbus, Ohio a wee bit after 7am on Saturday Morning. Had to wait for parking garage to open. got parked and went in search of coffee and restrooms… no where to be found. The hospital across the street wouldn’t even let us in to go to the cafeteria for food, or even to use restroom. How cruel and inhumane that is for a hospital founded by Nuns. Grrr… Anyway,enuff for that.
Or swags were full of little goodies. Many samples of various papers by Strathmore, Hahnemule, and tablets of Stonehenge. I’ve not used the Stonehenge before, so I look forward to it. There was also paints, primary tubes from QOR, and some mini samples from a local paintmaker/artist (sorry print was too small for me to read).
So, we waited int he hot car until 9am. Got into the library, found registration and picked up our swag bag (photo above). It was a really nice meet and greet, and then we were off to our workshops.
Our woorkshop took place about a block or two from the library, right on the street edge. A row of old homes with Hydrangea bushes in front of them. Beautiful architecture lost in this modern age. Anyway, our leader did a demo painting and then we all set about trying to make our own. I have to say that watercolor is not my expertise. My page looked like a preschooler had dumped paint… that bad, I thought. I got so frustrated with both my seeming inability and the poor paper I had that after 15 min, I set it aside and pulled out my sketchbook.
I laid in just the color during the workshop. My paper was soo wet at that point that there was o reason to try to lay down more color. Set aside… I did the inking details later at home. Igot out my “dragabout” sketcher and a #2 and 4b pencils. It was an instant calming effect. As pencil lines appeared, my feeling of frustration and negativity disappeared. I was back in my comfort zone.
Graphite is my “go to” art supply. Nonpretentious, simple, easy. Did a quick 10 min sketch… saw a shadow on the left railing that I hadn’t seen when I was trying to capture in paint. The angle of the shadow in opposition to the linearity of the railing interested me for several moments as I stopped to consider the angle of the sun, the trees, how the light was playing on the surfaces that somehow seemed to contradict basic physics. Anyway, it was a squirrel moment.
My take on the workshop was that it was really great. Working in a new genre, in a different environment ( plein air v/s indoors v/s photo refs) added interesting elements to the event. I took to heart the leaders words and appreciated his answers to “beginner” questions.
It was also interesting to sit on a downtown street and do art without the harassment of the police. We had several people walk down from the park to see what we were doing. And, even the homeowners came out, looked at our sketches and told us to “Enjoy!”.
After the morning outside in the heat and high humidity, I was wilted… brown lettuce wilted as we made our way back inside. My bad leg was swollen and painful, and I was really seriously dehydrated. Dizzy and nauseous, even. I wanted to stay for the afternoon session but I just didn’t think I could hold up to another 4 hours of heat and humidity. So, we reluctantly left early.
We took the looong, slow road back to Kentucky, making a swing through the little village where we were married. We got out, took some pics of the church and commented that it was almost as hot and humid as it was 28 years ago when we said our vows before God and Man. We stopped several times as I was feeling so ill. Trying to hydrate when you’re nauseous is difficult. Finally home to tepid showers, rehydration procedures, and an early bedtime. It was a great day! I really needed the break and feel rejuvenated by it. I really enjoyed meeting new artists from other areas of the state/country. A great time all told!
Chaos Central Command 