Last year I and a friend of mine drove up to Atlanta to take part in the Olmstead Plein Air invitational. No, I wasn’t one of the featured artists, but I did take part in the Paint Quick Art and Sale – we get to paint “plein air” in a very beautiful park for two […]
Last year I and a friend of mine drove up to Atlanta to take part in the Olmstead Plein Air invitational. No, I wasn’t one of the featured artists, but I did take part in the Paint Quick Art and Sale – we get to paint “plein air” in a very beautiful park for two hours; our paintings are then displayed alongside some nationally famous artists.
This year, since my friend had just gotten back from Tahiti, I went alone. Got up at 3:30 in the morning and started the 3.5 hour trip to get there in time for the sign in and to get our canvases stamped. Well, around 6:30 I was on I 75, and a deer jumped right in front of my car! I hit the deer, looked in the rear view mirror, and saw it flung all the way across the other side of I 75 into the woods. Needless to say, my little rental car (a Hundi Accent) was damaged and I had to pull over. The front bumper was destroyed, and the radiator was bent into the fan, but not all the way into the engine block. Also, the left front plastic splash was scraping against the tire.
Well, the deputy came, took a report, and called the wrecker. Since it was Sunday morning, everything in Forsyth, Georgia was closed. So I called Tom and he was gracious enough to come and get me.
While I was waiting at the ingles grocery store, they had some beautiful flowers out in pallets. So I pulled out my paints and painted this little 8 x 10 painting. So you could say I had my own little Quick Paint.
I’ll probably touch it up when I get a chance.
This Saturday morning, I’m off to Port St. Joe for the Forgotten Coast QuickDraw!
I do feel very fortunate not to have been hurt. Just goes to show you should always say your prayers before you go to bed every night!
Thomasville Center for the Arts asked me and 5 other artists to create a small mural for their theme: “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. Of course, I was chosen to paint one of the “train” pieces. We chose an image from the Thomasville Historical Society, and a 6′ x 4′ sheet of plywood and instructed to paint in any style we chose, just to reference the image we had chosen. Our ideas were approved, and we had one week to finish our mural. Keep in mind that these panels were set up at Grassroots Coffee on Broad Street. One artist a week painted their board in the little “cubby” in the store. I managed to work every evening, starting Monday, Feb. 1, and finally finished after working all day Saturday, Feb. 8th at 9:00 pm.
“Ladies Day Out” 6′ x 4′, Acrylic and Ink
The Center surprised us by making our murals into postcards! The idea is that people will come in to Grassroots, fill out a postcard, and the Center will mail them all out after the last mural is finished, by the first week of March. May I also add that Grassroots also rewarded us with $75.00 gift cards! Thank you so much, the coffee really came in handy!!!
In Progress: the lettering of the tickets and brochures took a lot of time!
Postcards are still available for all the murals in Grassroots; next time you’re in Thomasville, send one to a friend!
My workspace: there is a nice little cove that our board was hung in while we painted. After we finished, our boards were hung back on the walls in the main part of the store.
All of us actually had some people with families that came by most every night to watch our progress. What a fun experience!
I’ll be at Victorian Christmas in Thomasville, GA, both tonight and tomorrow, trying to capture the festive mood. Come by if you have a chance! There will be several of us painting.
Here’s the finished painting that I started at Pebble Hill. Not a really good photograph, though. There is a reflection in the upper left corner. I may post a better picture later – when the rain stops and the sun comes out again!
“Comforting Warmth”, 8 x 10 Oil, $295.00
Two weeks ago, during Art in the Afternoon (a part of Thomasville’s Plantation Wildlife Art Festival), a group of us were invited to be a part of the Festival and paint Plein Air at Pebble Hill Plantation. Between talking to people, trying to choose a place to paint (there were just too many choices!), enjoying the beautiful day, and setting up, I completed an underpainting that I’ll finish this weekend. I’m calling it “Comforting Warmth”. This is the northern wing of the house that opens up to the gardens. There is a sun dial in the middle.
We could not have asked for a more perfect day.
“Comforting Warmth” 8 x 10, Oil on panel
The grounds of Pebble Hill are gorgeous and they do an excellent job of maintaining everything the way it was when it was a working plantation. One of the remarkable things I found out – the favorite dogs are buried in the family cemetery! One thing I didn’t get to do was tour the house. I’ll look forward to that another time…..
I made some more studies – perhaps I’ll make a series of small paintings. Beautiful place – very inspiring.
I’ve just finished the next watercolor in my Wheels series. It’s 16″ x 30″ wide. Transparent watercolor, no other mediums used. Enjoy!
Click to view a larger size.
I was honored to be a part of the Art of Georgia II again this year. This is an invite from the Arts Council to submit 2D works to hang in the Governors Office for 6 months. The Art of Georgia II: Portraits of a Community was the theme. The exhibit will hang in the executive offices of the State Capitol and showcase current work of contemporary Georgia visual artists. The artwork is selected by region – this time it was SW Georgia.
Gov. and Mrs. Deal 9/19/2015
“Family Memories” 8 x 10 Oil
Last Tuesday night, I attended the reception given to us (Wiregrass Gallery) by SASS – the new restaurant in Thomasville. I had such a great time seeing the gallery member artists all in one place (which is rare), and meeting new people. I have a piece hanging in the show there; it will be there until the end of October. I highly recommend visiting! It’s located in the old railroad depot on Jackson St. in Thomasville. The food is delicious – and I don’t say that lightly – there is absolutely nothing there I wouldn’t recommend!
I was one of the volunteers that hung up the show – and they treated us to lunch! We could pick anything from the menu – one of the volunteers ordered a 1/2 po’boy with shrimp – it filled up the plate! I had tomato sandwiches – sweet little vine ripe tomatoes on a home-made mayonnaise-based sauce with crispy hot bacon sprinkles on top. It was the perfect lunch for such a hot day.
The bread they serve is made there too! Next time, I will have to order the sweet tea-brined fried chicken!
This is my entry for last year’s FLAUNT 2014 entry. We were given a building and tasked with interpreting it as we wish – using black and white with one Pop Up color. I was given the railroad depot (of course) and chose my Pop Up color as Atlantic Coast Line purple – the railroad that came through Thomasville. I chose to present it as a Christmas catalog in the Lionel fashion. It’s shown on the side of the group of buildings just up from the depot. 
Tracy L. Foutz, artist