Now I Know

Why did I name this week’s post “Now I Know?” Before I share the scoop on that I want to welcome you here! If you’re new, here’s a description of the purpose of this blog and post. And, if you think you would enjoy a weekly dose of color in your inbox each week, you can sign up here.

What Do I Know Now

First, the more I know, the more I know I don’t know. How about you? But I digress. This week I was waaaayyyy out in the country painting outdoors with a group of people. Shazam it was fun. Everything about plein air painting suits my sensibilities. There’s the preparation the night before. Planning to Plein air yourself? Here’s my check list of things to bring. Then there’s the snack bag, water bottle and sandwich making the morning of. And, then the driving off to somewhere new. Yahoo!

Add that I get to be outdoors with friendly, painterly, outdoorsy people and I think “It just can’t get any better than this.” Until it does. Get better, that is.

The Set Up

So here’s where I set up. This beautiful open space is only about a 40 minute drive from our place in downtown Raleigh. Even though it’s mid-February, the temperature reached 75F.

So I take the time to follow the fantastic advice from last year’s super fab course on Plein Air painting with Claudia Rilling. My gut is not thrilled with any of the compositions. So I wander. And, literally just 30 feet from where I start, I find this view: a red tin roof and green grass and trees.

But Wait There’s More

So I move to this new but not so far from the original spot. Do another quick, scratchy but informative compositional sketch on a post-it-note. And, my heart skips a beat. Why? Because I hear this and have no idea what I’m hearing!

Even though I still have to set up and mix paints, I cue up Merlin Bird ID app on my phone. Now I know what an Eastern Meadowlark sounds like! And, a half a dozen other birds that were serenading me during this plein air outing. Here are the other birds Merlin reports hearing.

What a fabulous combination of some of my favorite things: painting, beautiful views, birds and more. Here’s the 12×6 inch painting I did. Painting this was so much fun! If this painting makes your eyes sing, you can buy it for your very own by using the Paypal link below.

What Do You Know

Now that you know what I know, what do you know, gentle reader? Oh, one more thing. Since we are smack in the middle of Black History month, I have to share and shout out a fantastic book of poems by R. Drew Lanham about…birds, of course! It’s a delightful read about one of my favorite subjects, and it’s called, Sparrow Envy. Isn’t that cover fantastic? Treat yourself now in the midst of Black History Month too. Win win, eh?

And, before we sign off, please share what you know gentle reader. Have you heard or seen or read something surprising or unexpected or enjoyable? If so, I would love to hear. Please share in the comments below. Thank you for reading along here today.