Earlier this month I spent the day at Alburg State Park Dunes, one of the longest sandy beaches on Lake Champlain, in northern Vermont, where I live. The day was hot and humid, the beach crowded with people. While the rest of my family set up chairs by the water, I scouted out a good spot under some trees to set up my easel and get painting! I decided on a view looking towards the Adirondacks with a rocky ledge in the foreground which jutted out into the water.
Before I could even get paint on the canvas, I began attracting the attention of beachgoers who were fascinated by the painting process – kids and their parents, a guy who ran a local guitar shop but who also loved art, an art teacher, a little boy who informed me that my painting looked ‘finished’ and that I should stop painting on it. Several people were surprised I was using oils (not sure why), some wondered if oils melted in the 90 degree heat (no they don’t).
This painting was my first try on a plein air waterscape and I hope to do more soon before that first Vermont frost hits the air!
