Proverbial Foot In Mouth

Ok, ok, I said I was never doing another plein air event. I said I was done, they were too hard on me emotionally, that they were not my strength and I only want to do what I want to do. So I changed my mind – if only for a little while. I was invited to paint for the Bozeman Art Museum’s Montana Plein Air. If you know me, you know I love that area. I also love the people that were participating in the show, many of them from my Rocky Mountain Plein Air days. I told myself I would paint a little bigger (my small pieces sometimes miss the impact), I would paint slower, I would treat them more like a studio conceptual painting with perimeters. I tried to work out a plan that would keep me from having a painting meltdown lol! The best laid plans, right?

My canvases were large, many 16×20’s, the company was fantastic (Suzie Baker was my partner in crime) and the landscapes were plentiful. I still had a meltdown (just one) and I worked my way through it, choosing to leave one of the paintings out of the show. The others got small tweaks, one got a bit more than a small tweak, but I ended up content with them in the end. I did tons of research beforehand of where I wanted to paint, how I wanted to paint. It is so hard to conceptualize when you are staring at the tyranny of reality, but I did my best. I must admit playing the comparison game, I always lose in my head. You paint next to the incredible and accomplished Suzie Baker and I bet you might feel the same. She is just SO GOOD! As was everyone on that invitation list!

Paintings done, hung and ready for the reception, it realized how much fun I had with my tribe out in the land that I love so much. I am so happy I did the show, proud of what I accomplished and not ready to call off plein air painting completely. I even got the artists choice award from my fellow peers, a first for me. I was honored and grateful for the experience!