Day 1, Sort-of

I bought this plant about a week ago and have a cool idea in mind about the painting. But I haven’t had more than just about 5 minutes to spend on painting any day. It’s the change-of-season up here and I’ve been busy trying to “button things up” before winter hits: planting tamarack trees out in the swamp, draining fountains, putting up deer cages, etc. Today is dark, chilly and rainy, so I could work a little in the studio. Look closely at the floor in back of the easel and you’ll see dirt. This plant is top-heavy and has fallen several times, so I’ve had to prop it up against the easel. The position and lighting has changed several times. Dead leaves have dropped. So I’m basically trying to make up something that more-or-less looks like this poor plant. It’s an echeveria variety named “party dress” — so expect big things!