Hook, Line, and Sinker en plein air

Hook, Line, and Sinker

 My first completed painting for the weekend's plein air painting event was Hook, Line, and Sinker. 

8" x 16"

Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on panel

Framed in simple, natural wood frame

Click here to view on my website.

The evening before the paint out event, my Beloved Husband and I drove up to the area where I would be finding painting locations. I had been checking out my maps, and had my eye on a public access on a small area lake called Shock Lake. We drove to the site, and I thought it would serve me well. When I arrived there on Friday morning, there were two fishermen out in their boat, and one fishing from the dock. Though I felt a little like an intruder, I set up my kit and started to paint. 

It was windy at the lake, and I kept reminding myself to keep a foot on the leg of the stand for the pochade box, but I guess I forgot anyway. Partway through the painting, DISASTER! Everything blew over and crashed to the ground, with the painting face down in the dirt. You can see in the photo that I had already picked up the painting and tried to clean off the gravel before documenting this part of the plein air painting event. I was soaked, my apron was REALLY soaked, my box had a piece broken off... and my paint equipment was everywhere. I am happy to say, though, that it didn't really make me too mad or stressed. For whatever reason, I took it in stride and just moved forward with cleaning up and fixing the problems. 

I finished close to the time I had set for myself, and headed back to take a break, eat lunch, and plan for painting number two. Though I am fairly sure most seasoned plein air painters face this situation - maybe several times - it felt like a pretty big deal to me, and I felt like my break was well deserved. 

For whatever reason, my mind goes to an Old Testament poem when I am thinking about this first attempt painting over the weekend. You have probably heard it before, and it concerns mankind's view of life events. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is an occasion for everything,

and a time for every activity under heaven:

a time to give birth and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to uproot;

a time to kill and a time to heal;

a time to tear down and a time to build;

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance;

a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;

a time to search and a time to count as lost;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear and a time to sew;

a time to be silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.