A Day at the Beach Was Not a Day at the Beach

When my friend invited a group of us to go to the sand dunes, I was thinking hiking the dune and some nature trails by Lake Michigan.

As she parked the car I saw one large dune and a public beach. She unloaded a blanket, towel and beach chair and headed for the beach. I was not prepared. I was not dressed for the beach. I did not bring a blanket, towel or chair. Luckily I had a hat, sunscreen, sketchbook and camera.

It was near the end of summer and I then had shoulder surgery, then it was fall and then the holidays, yada yada yada. I have been wanting to paint this beach scene (and others) since last year.

Finally! This little girl gets to go swimming!

I definitely would frame in a floater frame or edge-to-edge frame so nothing gets covered up.

Want to Swim, 8×10″ oil on panel.

Available at http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/570980

Judging the 4H Youth Art Competition

I Had the Best Time Giving Back
Ingham County Fair is in full swing this week, and I was able to contribute to the festivities. They asked me to be a judge for the 4H youth art competition. I was honored and thrilled. It’s not just judging the artwork. I got to sit down for a minute or two and discuss the art with each artist, let them know what I thought was great, and how they might improve next time. Maybe hearing some ideas from an artist, someone who is not their teacher might mean something. (Or not.)

I did my best to share my knowledge. I found a lot of their art very exciting.

A little sad that so many more entries have gone over to the photography side—everybody has a camera on their phone you see. At least they are trying to be good at it. That’s a plus. And they are seeing the world artistically. That’s a good thing.

See you at the fair!