Full Moon

 "Full Moon -- Rex Beach" -- plein air field study -- oil on birch panel 8x10"

 "Full Moon and Cloud" -- plein air field study -- oil on birch panel 8x10" 

"Full Moon -- Scott Road" -- plein air field study -- oil on birch panel 8x10"

The other night the full moon was glorious!  I tend to hit the sheets pretty early, but I was just WIRED!  How could I possibly sleep when it was so beautiful outside??  I'd never painted en plein air during a full moon, but nothing was going to stop me. 

Since you see only 3 values during a full moon, the darkest dark, a medium sky tone and the bright moon, painting is relatively easy.  I pre-mixed a dark-dark and a medium tone in the studio before I ventured out.  Once out on location, I only had to turn on my flashlight a relatively few times to see what I was doing.

First stop was my favorite hang-out, Rex Beach.  You can drive right down to the water.  As usual, I had the entire park -- hell! the entire coastline! -- to myself.  Normally I park back in the parking lot, but I felt daring enough to park on the sand.  Sometimes people get stuck there, so I very carefully cruised through in low gear.  It was SO wonderful to be down at the water's edge, painting!  All I could hear was gentle waves and once in a while a coyote yipping.  Still, I did look around once in a while for any approaching cougars.

A big cloud moved over the sky and as it passed under the moon, I was amazed to see the rusty tones and hints of ochre!  Very bizarre.  

I only had 3 panels with me, so the last painting was done on my road: Scott Road.  I could have painted ALL NIGHT.  Really a blast!  Maybe this winter I'll try doing it in the snow.

Rex Beach 9-15-11

 "Rex Beach - 9/15/11" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas 8x16"

setup at Rex Beach 9/15/11

All day long the clouds were SO fantastic!  I waited until late in the day, then drove to my favorite spot, Rex Beach.  Glad I'd dressed in layers -- that wind was howing the whole time and it was pretty chilly.  Here I'm looking over Grand Traverse Bay to the Leelanau Peninsula.  Parts of the peninsula were getting rain squalls.  

Up until this summer, I'd not tried painting in this type of format: long and narrow.  It's kind of fun to do, as I get to show more of the dramatic skies.  

And yes, that's a Soltek easel.  After having to get the legs repaired a couple times, I've finally learned to keep the leg tips enclosed in plastic.  Once sand gets inside, the legs go kaflooey!  Other than that, it's been a good easel.

As usual, I had the entire beach to myself.  This little park is only 3.5 miles from my house and I can drive very close to the beach.  There is a turnaround at water's edge, designed for boat drop-offs, but I've seen many people get stuck there.  Which is why I always park in the designated parking lot.  

Although it was still light enough to paint another, I thought it would be pushing my luck.  The rain squall might just hit in the middle of another painting.  I packed up and stashed everything into the car, then returned for a walk along the beach.  Found 2 small Petoskey stones (fossilized coral, originally formed along the coastline of Chile).  Beach visits always revive me!

Sometimes it's almost dark when I walk back to my car, carrying all my equipment.  That is when I think about packs of rabid coyotes, hungry bears, mountain lions on the prowl.

Freezing Lake Michigan - February

"Ice Chunks 2/11/10" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas -- 11x14" -- Margie Guyot

"Ice Flow" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas -- 9x12" -- Margie Guyot

The weather forecast called for a 60% chance of snow, but my friend Janet and I decided to risk going out to paint anyway. The day before, we'd both bought balaclavas at a ski shop in Traverse City, so we were excited to be able to try them out. And wow -- were they ever worth the bucks! We painted right on the ice at Norwood Beach (south of Charlevoix), with a stiff wind blowing the whole time -- and our faces didn't get chapped!

I probably wouldn't have gone out to paint if it hadn't been for my friend Janet. I'd probably have stayed in the studio, working on a still life.

We discovered this great spot the other day, following the suggestion of our friend, sculptor Todd Warner. We've painted there twice already and the ice changes constantly. What had been open water two days ago was frozen yesterday. In these two little field studies I did yesterday, the small chunks of ice were practically frozen together into a solid sheet by the end of the painting session. The wind was relentless (of course!) and it would have been nice if I could have used my BestBrella. But I was certain the wind would have caught it and sailed it out into the drink for sure. I didn't feel like throwing away $100.

Finally I remembered to bring along a thermos of hot tea to a winter painting session! So in between paintings we had a little "warming break". Little things mean a lot, as they say, and a cup of hot tea out on the ice is fabulous.

The ice made interesting cracking and moaning sounds the whole time. And even though it was quite thick (and safe) where we stood, it was quite slippery, so we had to watch our movements. There were coyote tracks in the snow, running all over the place. I bet it would be quite an interesting place to be, some moonlit night.