Every year I look forward to spending a week at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin at the Sarah Carlisle Towery Art Colony. It is such a privilege to spend time with artist friends from across the southeast, and paint without pressure in a beautiful setting. It's like camp for adults. We stay in lakefront cabins and are able to concentrate on our painting with no distractions. Sitting on our porches watching the moonlight sparkle on the water at night, we share tips, techniques, and dreams.
Our wonderful teacher this year was Julee Hutchison from Telluride, Colorado. Please check our her website at www.juleehutchison.com. She is a beautiful artist. She shared with us her love of nature which has led her to plein air painting. We also painted still lifes and figures from live models. We painted with palette knives and brushes, standing up and sitting down, inside and outside! She challenged us to try new things. It is always fun to see how fellow artists approach the same subject, with entirely different results.
I always come home energized and rejuvenated about my art...ready to try new approaches and subject matter. We are indeed blessed to have this special time for friendship and learning. Many thanks to the local volunteers and board members who give of their time and energy to take care of us!
I began this painting, Knee Deep, at art colony. Working from a photograph of this precious little boy, my challenge was to capture the temperature changes from warm to cool with the bright sunshine and reflections from the water.
Pictured above with Laura Lewis and our teacher, Julee Hutchison.
