November 2022
When it came time to choose a photo that best represents this month’s adventures, it was easy to choose this one. What’s funny about it is that this was taken by a total stranger right before I won an award for this painting. And about an hour before this painting was complete, I had painted something completely different and scraped it all off.
This may sound strange, but running and plein air painting are more similar than you might think. When I first began running races and marathons, I wasn’t sure I could do it. Apparently not many other people thought I could do it either. Years ago I overheard someone say, “Beth Blackwell ran a marathon?!?!” And one of Scott’s friends said to me at a party several years ago, “YOU ran the New York City marathon???” Sigh….. :(((( But you know what, that only fuels my passion. I love being underestimated!
Marathon training is not something you can cram for. There’s a reason they call it “long, slow distance” training, and it requires an enormous amount of commitment. Training to become a painter is no different. It’s about consistency and mileage. Marathon training is very physical and you prepare for 6 months or more for race day. And on race day you have absolutely no control over anything - the course is set for you (hills, terrain), the weather (rain, humidity, wind) is up to Mother Nature and it requires tremendous courage just to step up to the starting line. Training for a plein air competition is similar - the organizers tell you where you can and cannot paint, there is a time limit and the weather is up to Mother Nature.
So as odd as it sounds, I’ve actually been training to become an artist for a very long time. I have completed 7 marathons, an ultramarathon, probably a dozen or so half marathons, countless 10ks and 5ks, a bunch of trail races and 5 or 6 triathlons. Of course, I had no idea that those races would prepare me for plein air painting, but they most definitely did. Pacing, grit, determination and delayed gratification all lumped into one!
Here’s the scoop — on Friday, November 4th my friend Maria and I drove down to Providence Canyon in South Georgia for their inaugural A Canyon Plein Air. We went back in October to scout out the scene so we knew where we wanted to paint - Canyon 4. When we arrived at the park, we found my friend Preston and his friend Shaney who were already hard at work.
Maria and I set up our easels along the canyon rim and painted a warm up painting to get the juices flowing. If you look closely at the painting you’ll find all kinds of colors - pinks and blues. I picked up this idea from my pastelist friends, “the dusties.” Pastelists are masterful with color and I’m learning so much from them.
Next, we checked into our bed and breakfast, The MG Richardson, which I have to say truly felt like a home away from home. So at home that I left my bedroom door open almost the whole time so that I could chat with the owner and play with the kitties. I fell in LOVE with Miss Kitty who snuggled with me while I read, “Picasso’s War.”
On Saturday morning we got up early and headed over to the state park, hiked down into the canyon and got to work. The hike down was fairly technical, lots of rocks and roots (just like trail running!), the hike back up was even more challenging. Plus, we were carrying anywhere from 25-50 pounds of gear with us. Fortunately the weather was gorgeous with a light breeze.
We set up and got to work. I didn’t have a predetermined idea of what I was going to paint. I wanted to react in the moment, which I did and the painting was not good. I looked at the time and wondered whether I would have time to scrape it and repaint it. I paint pretty fast and I’ve trained myself in my weekly paint outs to hit specific time markers for these quick paint scenarios. I knew I had about an hour and half to knock out a freshy, hike back up the canyon, frame it and turn it in for judging.
Here are my two paintings. The one on the left has a time stamp of 10:50 a.m. The one on the right has a time stamp of 11:29 a.m. So I basically completed the second painting in 39 minutes. Whaaattttt??? My goodness, it just sounds crazy. Granted, it’s a 12” h x 6” w, but still … kinda crazy that it all came together so fast. It makes no sense to me. And believe me when I tell you this - I 100% did not believe I was going to win anything. I was just trying to complete a painting I felt OK presenting for judging.
Of course, you have no idea what judges like or are looking for, so it’s a crap shoot. For whatever reason, they awarded my painting with the 3rd place ribbon. My friend and fellow VaHi Plein Air Painter, Barbara Ratner, won 1st prize and my friend Donna Biggee, also a VaHi painter, won 2nd place. It was a big day for the VaHi Plein Air Painters!
 |
| The plein air coordinator (L) with the judges, holding the award winning paintings |
On the drive back to Atlanta Maria and I talked about how much our weekly paint outs have helped our painting practice. Doing the work on cold days, hot days, humid days, cloudy days, windy days … shoot, I’ve even painted in the rain, sleet and snow! … that’s what gets you to the finish line. Long, slow, incremental progress. Today you can run 2 miles without stopping, next week you can run 3 and so on and so on.
I began competing in plein air events in March this year, 7 months ago - almost the same amount of time it would take to train for a marathon - and I crossed the first of many finish lines on November 5 with a ribbon. Was it worth it? Abso-freakin-lutely!
 |
| Admiring Maynard Dixon at the Booth Museum |
November was jam packed with goodness, so I want to make sure I tell you everything. My Padna in crime, Brandi, rolled into Atlanta for a visit. Brandi and I have been meeting every Monday for gosh, maybe a year and a half or so? We call it the Triple M (Monday Morning Meeting) and discuss everything art related - panels, paints, frames, competitions, marketing, inventory systems, you name it. It was SO great to be with her in person. She went with me to the High Museum and explored the collection while I toured some cute little 3rd graders through an Animals in Art tour. Then we drove up to the Booth Museum for lunch and to see their Plein Air Painting exhibition. We stopped by and saw Kent at the Booth Art Academy, then came back to my house and let Scott make cocktails for us. SOOOOOOO much fun. The next day we sat in our sunroom while it rained, drank coffee and solved all the world’s problems.
 |
| JuJu slept in Brandi’s bed after she left … so sweet! |
On Saturday November 12 Scott and I attended a Cocktails and Collectors event at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. I recently had the opportunity to get to meet the museum’s Chief Curator and thoroughly enjoy talking with him about collecting and auctions. Getting an up close and personal look at the museum’s Mattie Lou O’Kelley exhibition was a very cool opportunity.
Around this same time I served as a grant panelist for the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Support for the Arts. It was my third time serving as a panelist and a fascinating opportunity to learn more about arts organizations in Atlanta.
But wait … there’s still more …
On November 15th, HBO Max released “Master of Light,” a documentary about George Morton. George was my drawing instructor in 2019 and 2020 up until the pandemic. He is the first African American to graduate from the Florence Academy of Art. Prior to that he served 10 years in federal prison for a drug charge (a ridiculous amount of time considering his crime). George’s story is truly remarkable. I’m so proud of George for all he has accomplished, his resilience, determination and drive. And I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with him.
I’ll never forget being in his studio, working for more than 25 hours on a Bargue plate of a foot. He came over to check on my progress and said, “It’s good. It’s good enough. Are you OK with good enough?” Coincidentally I’d been reading “Mastery” by Robert Greene at the same time and I knew George was asking me a test question. The old Beth would have said that good enough was good enough, but now I know better. So I responded, “No, good enough is not ok. I want it to be correct.” He looked back at me and said, “That’s the right answer.”
I knew from art history classes that traditional atelier style learning is rigorous, demanding and many might say boring. I also read that showing up early and staying late would be a sign to my instructor that I was dead serious, so I arrived at the atelier before everyone else and sat on the floor in the hallway and read until George or one of the other instructors arrived. As I was sitting in the hall waiting I read, “Mastery,” by Robert Greene, which is the perfect brain food before an atelier training session. George recognized the book instantly - he’s also a big fan of Robert Greene’s writings - and encouraged me to read more of Greene’s books and watch his YouTube videos.
 |
| A lesson with George at Atelier South |
 |
| With only a handful of students, we received lots of one on one instruction |
 |
| One of my Bargue drawings |
George taught me how to see and line things up with plumb lines, mirrors, and more. He taught me to hold myself to a high standard. He taught me that good enough is not good enough. I hope you’ll watch “Master of Light.”
November is my birthday month, and Scott got me a new plein air easel set up. I love my old $99 easel from Cheap Joe’s but it doesn’t comply with airline regulations, so it was time to upgrade. I took it for a test drive just before Thanksgiving and loved it.
On the morning of my birthday I met up with my friend San from the South Cobb Arts Alliance to run a Dirty Spokes trail race on the grounds of the Chateau Elan winery. Scott ran the 5 mile course while I ran the 3 miler. My man placed first in his age group!
'
And last but not least, it was our annual Thanksgiving trek to Louisiana which always includes gumbo, turtle soup, crab beignets, po boys, Doberge cake, redfish, boudin, oysters and more. We spent time in many of our favorite places: The Pontchartrain Hotel, the New Orleans Museum of Art, shopping on Magazine Street, Domilise’s, La Petit Grocery and more.
I always take my sketch book wherever I go and got lots of great airport drawings including one of Channing Tatum who was incognito in the Sky Club!
 |
| Getting ready for a big abstract show in December! |
 |
| Stonington, Maine |
 |
| Zinnias and Ginger Jar |
 |
| Murphy’s restaurant in Virginia Highlands |
 |
| I can’t start my day without snuggles from Otis |
 |
| JuJu loves to snuggle, too, but only on the sofa |
Comments
Post a Comment