Before the Fog

Dana and I went along to my neighbor Ann's studio, which is on an open studios scheme this weekend. I love her work and have several of her pieces already, but I knew Dana would love it and she did.

Back in 2014 Ann offered to teach me the basics of watercolor painting and we got together enough times for me to decide I wasn't very good at it. One day we decided to go to the coast to paint the spectacular coastline. She had been wanting to try some plein air painting and took along her easel. and a stool. We both had paintboxes and brushes and the usual paraphernalia, although being new to the game, mine was a fairly modest selection of most newly purchased stuff.

We set up, she at her easel facing one direction and I at a picnic table facing the opposite way and set to work. After we had been working away for some time, I began to realize that my view of the beautiful bluffs overlooking the sea was disappearing into the mist that was rolling in.  Her view had completely disappeared into a fairly thick fog. Our outing was aborted, or at least shortened, but it was certainly the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

We had a good laugh about it today as I was looking at paintings she later made of the same area, possibly from photographs. I was also looking through her sketchbooks and several of her sketches reminded me of the one quick painting I made that day which I remembered and dug out of a drawer after I got home. The whole day has inspired me to drag out the paints after a seven year hiatus and give it another shot. But only If Ann is willing to be my mentor again....