Having grown up in Iowa, where all the streams and ponds are brown, I was thrilled to live within a hoot-holler of Lake Michigan! Lake water can be almost any shade, from turquoise to lilac to golden — even black. I never tire of looking at it. Smelling it. Hearing it.
Soon after my move up here, a painter friend and I went to paint on the beach at Antrim Creek Natural Area. Here is a glimpse of Grand Traverse Bay, with the skyline of the Leenanau Peninsula in the distance. We were having a ball! Winter was gone. It was a glorious, sunny day. The entire beach was OURS. We’d found heaven!
And why stop after just one painting? I laid this one down on the sand and began Painting #2. Alas — this was the day I learned an important lesson: never, EVER lay a wet oil painting down on a sandy beach! As you can see in the photo, the entire surface has a fine layer of sand! That night I went online and bought a ridiculously-expensive wet panel carrier. It’s always with me. Oil (and sand) on birch panel 8×10″ by Margie Guyot.
