January 2009

Right now I'm in the Big Easy and I spent the last day of 2008 painting at the Barataria Preserve. The preserve is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, just south of New Orleans. I started the day with a serene and peaceful hike through the swamp and finished it with this painting of a very interesting old tree on a mound called a midden. If you have been reading my posts for a while, you will sometimes read about the challenges of plein air painting. Unlike the studio, painting outdoors often makes demands of the artist beyond just the painting itself. Often present are obstacles such as extreme heat, extreme cold, rain, snow, heavy winds, bugs, frequent cloud (therefore light) changes, snakes, dust storms, elk, bears, drunks (which to be fair, are sometimes encountered in the studio), rabid dogs, earthquakes, mosquitos, hunters, and  small flowers that fall onto your canvas just to name a few. However today, there were none of these. Just a perfect day. Not one single environmental challenge. Which is quite challenging. You see, without any adverse conditions, there are no excuses and you just have to focus on the painting.  I wish you all much success in 2009 in your personal and artistic endeavors.  Happy New Year, Don. Barataria Preserve - oil on linen, 14×11