Charlevoix Train Station

"Charlevoix Train Station" -- oil on canvas -- 10x20" -- Margie Guyot

Ah, the morning of the Crooked Tree Art Center's Annual Plein Air Paint-Out -- and it was raining!!!!  Boo-hoo!  And I had two surprise houseguests, fortunately both painters: Heiner Hertling and Mike Toderoff.  We had to check-in up in Charlevoix at 8 AM.  Pay our fee, get our blank canvases stamped on the back.  Everything was due back in Petoskey by 5 or 6 PM, framed and ready to hang.  Such pressure to produce -- and have it look GOOD!  


Neither Mike nor Heiner knew of any good spots to paint, especially protected spots.  So I took them down to the old train depot in Charlevoix.  There were covered spots we could stand under.  About the only view we had was of the train station, now owned by the Historical Society.  


None of us likes paintings buildings.  All those windows!  All those straight lines!  But it was the only option at that point.  So we slugged away on it, muttering and complaining the whole time.  


Heiner and Mike finished theirs and headed on north, towards Petoskey.  I packed my gear up and drove home.  Had to recharge -- have lunch, a coffee, and consider what on earth I could paint next.