My first night at Arts Letters & Numbers, we had partaken in a lively evening of discussion and tequila chez Robert and Diane.

Tuesday was a sunny if not windy day, and after an early breakfast al fresco, I made my way down to Burden Lake 3 for some lakeside en plein air painting.

The light was bright and warm and without a cloud in the sky, the blues were deep and vibrant. The water moved smoothly across the lake's surface, and one of the neighbors pointed out an eagle soaring above the tree line.

As I considered this idea I've had about muting out the landscape to create abstraction, I chose two different compositions to work with ~ a point blank horizontal horizon to abstract into color blocks, and a shoreline view, offering leaning birch as well as a rocky foreground, watery middle-ground and hilly tree-lined background.

I didn't love either of the paintings I created to be frank. They felt blah. But okay, only day one of painting. Maybe something would come of them.

Returning home in the afternoon, we prepared to depart for a community potluck dinner and weekly ping pong game at a neighbor's home. As in the evening before, we were welcomed warmly with interest in our art and friendly conversation. After squeaking out a doubles ping pong win (it has been a while since I've played), we headed home for bed.

Wednesday was an ultra productive painting day, as overnight I had somehow been inspired turn my insipid landscapes of the day before into a statement about the obscuration and obliteration of nature that seems to be gaining momentum with the country's leadership (and let's be honest, a lot of society too....very scary).

Setting to work abstracting the landscapes, I considered the larger scope of my recent work which seems to me to be all about transition ~ in the personal, societal and natural realms. More of that thread to pull and art to share...