Musings from Paint Duluth 5 (Duluth, GA) ♡
This past weekend i participated in Paint Duluth 5, a 4-day local en plein air event. Just in case, en plein air is French for “in the open air,” and artists know this as an outdoor, open air painting activity. think French countryside, box easels, and berets. sort of. :)
In events like this (often tied to a local festival, but not always), plein air artists travel from all over to gather in an area and paint in public, rain or shine. There are usually competitions such as a ‘quick draws’ with a time limit, artist workshops, awards, and a gallery show and/or reception to celebrate the completed pieces. People eagerly come to participate, and the public to watch the process of art-making in the great outdoors.
Last year I participated in Paint Duluth 4, so this wasn’t my first plein air experience. However, i was so intimidated by the idea of people actually watching me work (and potentially fumbling my way through), that I found the most remote locations I could think of to work! First day, my back deck overlooking the lake and a great blue heron visitation. Second day, an early morning sunrise over nearby Cardinal Lake, which I’d practiced in watercolor for days prior just in case someone happened by. Last up was a whimsical dandelion fluff painting using toilet paper roll brushes and other mixed media techniques from a parking lot at a local park.
Despite my hesitation and hiding, the first two paintings – the heron and the lake sunrise -- sold in the gallery show! You could’ve pushed me over with a feather, but it was enough of a good experience that I decided to sign up again in 2020.
So, this year, Paint Duluth 5.
An artist friend, Robin Popp (www.robinpopp.com), who is also a master plein air painter, came up from North Florida for the event and stayed. We know each other from Gathering of Artisans (www.gatheringofartisans.com) and the artist mentoring program we both belong to (click here for more).
Last summer we did a self-proclaimed Holy Chicken Artist Residency 😂 on Robin's farm with 3 other artists, including one day of plein air painting at a nearby (and incredibly crystal clear azure blue!) Cypress Springs. Last October I was her assistant instructor at the incredible John C. Campbell Folk School (www.folkschool.org) for a week of plein air painting in the western North Carolina mountains.
This time for Paint Duluth, I found myself with a plein air buddy. Someone to have my back. I'd gained a little plein air experience since the previous Paint Duluth event, and felt less overwhelmed. And i say less because the whole practice is rather terrifying, but I do like the idea of painting outdoors. and the idea of moving from being an overwhelmed artist to an overcoming one.
I hit bumps! Oh, boy did I. But because I’m currently developing an online course series called ‘Courageous Creating,’ i found myself in the big fat middle of being tested on what I’m teaching. I found myself being forced to walk it out.
Below is the first of three ‘diary entries’ from my most recent plein air (and real life as a creative soul) adventure. Enjoy!
It's a courageous thing to do something new. To kick the crutches out from underneath yourself. To risk failure and defeat. To squeeze out tears of frustration and sit uncomfortably in very real moments of inadequacy ...
All while doing it publicly, fighting against the elements and largely unfamiliar medium and techniques, not only in front of complete passerby strangers, but also surrounded by ridiculously more talented artists than you. And vulnerably, willingly sticking your work up on display next to theirs. Yikes.
This is daring greatly, I'm realizing...and this is courageous creating!
Highlighted in these photos is my fav plein air painting from Paint Duluth. It's currently hanging in the gallery show at Adrian Collaborative, on Main Street in Duluth, GA USA, through October 19, 2020.
It's framed in gold, and I can't help thinking there's something very significant, prophetic about that. More to come, as I dig down deeper.
In the next "diary entry," I'll share my least favorite, so stay tuned 😉 … in the meantime, what seems like courage in YOUR creative expression?
Comment below, I'd love to hear!