Surviving to Thriving

Meet Kelly, my hostess for a painting tour of Rome and Venice.  Kelly ( www.kellymedford.com) and I met several years ago in an on-line art marketing class.  I was an early bird on-line and that seemed to coincide with Kelly's time schedule so we ended up exchanging a lot of information during the course. Later we met, her mother lives in Orlando, not far from mine, so we actually spent the day getting to know each other over coffee and then painting in a park.  Forward a couple of years and Kelly invites some of us to join her painting in Rome where she has lived for three years ( and Florence prior to that.). Well. You don't have to twist my arm!  Here I am!

Kelly loads up her backpack and gets on her bike every day to paint, plein air, the hi ways and byways of Italy.   That's her job.  After nine years in the country she is fluent not only in the language but in many other ways as well.  I am in good hands....except that I am not a plein air painter!  There is a world of difference between us studio painters ( think a/c, no bugs, soft music and no interruptions with all the time in the world) and plein air artists ( hmmm, heat, gawkers, thirst, pressure to finish and a forgotten tool inevitably.)  what was I thinkin'?  

I was thinking that this was an opportunity too good to miss despite the fact that I had to carry a backpack all over town, stand for 7 hours in a public park with people saying things I could not understand, brave the bus and metro during a transportation strike, and suffer the possible humiliation of painting some butt ugly pieces in broad daylight on a schedule.  Whew!  I survived!  I thrived!  

When we got to the park I quickly set up my rig so that I would not find a reason to back out.  Of course it helped that Kelly and I had just had breakfast at the cutest little outdoor place in the park.  Primed with a wonderful pastry and cafe au lait, I was in good spirits.  I dove in.  My goal was to paint a painting...not a masterpiece, not even a salable product, just a painting.  And I did!  Oh joy!  

This is St. Peter's cathedral as seen from the park we were in.  Yeah, there is a lot I could do to spiff this up (back in the studio of course).  But it is done....and I went on to do another....and I am excited aBout tomorrow.  Who knows, kelly may convert me after all!

We'll see....guess I need a new goal for tomorrow!  Off to the coliseum where Kelly is completing a commissioned piece, so perhaps that amazing landmark will be my focus.

Soon,

Cindy