My Paint Snow Hill
Instead of bringing my whole family, I traveled solo this year and stayed with hosts Christina and Chuck, both artists, in their magical home in nearby Whiton. My room was also Christina’s studio, so I felt like a kid spending each night in a toy store. Molly the cat greeted me in the kitchen each morning; Frankie the dog had better sense and slept in.
I enjoy getting up early to catch the morning light as it spills across Delmarva. I am proud of myself for making preliminary drawings before squeezing out any paint. (Why is that such a hard lesson?--A few minutes of planning consistently yields better results. Duh!) I painted exclusively in town this year, deliberately choosing some iconic scenes like the water tower and the feed mill. Several paintings turned out well. Several paintings did not. I made all of them while standing under the hatchback or sitting inside my car. As usual.
As a special thank you to Ann Coates for nurturing this event for the past 15 years, many of the 70+ participating artists created small paintings on note cards, which Kirk McBride presented to her just before the “Wet Paint” Show opened. (I made of little cartoon of Ann’s beloved dogs.) I framed up 6 paintings for the show, and 1 of those went home with a Salisbury collector. Thank you, Michele! I am particularly grateful that friends Jess and John traveled from Virginia for the exhibition—and got some nice beach weather as a bonus.
So after 12 years wrestling Spring into paint in and around Snow Hill, Maryland, I’m closing this chapter. Yes, I will be back there frequently. No, the town isn’t closing its doors. Still, I wept before the reception, knocked over by a wave of strong emotion. For everything this event has meant to my development as an artist. For all the friendships that were planted there and continue to grow. For this annual migration with a flock of colleagues, this rite of Spring we’ve been dancing. I am hurting because I have loved it well.
Thank you, Paint Snow Hill.
Thank.
You.
Speaking of Snow Hill
I dropped off several new paintings at Bishop’s Stock FineArt, Craft & Wine: 2 from Paint Snow Hill and 4 recent studio pieces.
Contact the gallery for more info or stop by. And if you visit the gallery this
month you will be richly rewarded: the current show is paintings by Alison
Menke and Lynn Mehta. Both of these women are seasoned plein air painters who
create very energetic, muscular landscapes.
Shop Update Coming Soon
In about 10 days I will post some new artwork in my online shop. I’ll send you a short note when it’s up.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Love,
Barb
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