A Week of R&R

Every summer for the past 21 years my dear friend Terry and I leave our families for a week to devote all of our time to our art (and catching up on what each of us are doing.)

Last week was the week, we were at a lake just outside Traverse City which is where we have gone for the past 19 years.  Eighteen of the 19 years were at Spider Lake thanks to my brother and sister-in-law.  Here is a view from the dock….

That rowboat will be in future paintings.  Paintings that were done while I was there include these two

They are not the same size – top is 7 x 7, bottom is 14 x 14; however, the camera doesn’t seem to know the difference.  I have a couple others but when I saw the images on my computer I realized they weren’t done. 

Painting isn’t all we do, we swim – at least three times a day.  Swimming in a cool lake feeds my soul.  Somehow a pool isn’t the same, most likely because I grew up swimming in a lake.  And one day during the week we go in to town for lunch at our favorite “Amical” where Sebastian has been our waiter two years in a row and he gives us great service.  We also make a stop at the college bookstore because they have an excellent selection of art supplies and the prices are good.

An aside – while searching for something else I came across a blog entry titled Enjoying the Gallery Experience.  If you hesitate to visit those places read it.  While it’s primarily about visiting galleries and museums in New York, it could be any city.  For that matter, even if you’re not hesitant about visiting, it’s worth reading.

Enough today, I’m working on getting more paintings done as I have to have 2 for ArtWalk, several for an exhibit at The Edge Gallery in Fenton and 2 or 3 pieces for Lemon Creek Winery’s Grand Haven Tasting Room.  All happening in September.  Yikes… I’m off to work!