Take my word for it...

So a couple of weeks ago we headed off to South Carolina just as Hurricane Joaquin was arriving. (This led to a 3 day detour to Savannah, Georgia, which was relatively dry and very, very lovely.) Once the roads were not under water, we finally arrived on Kiawah Island, SC to join our wonderful friends for the annual golf "championship." 

It is so beautiful on the coast of South Carolina! Marshes, inland waterways, live oaks draped with spanish moss. Very tropical and still very beachy.  Of course I was inspired to paint and had brought along a basic setup to paint en plein air.  My first outing was just a short walk away from our lovely home: a bridge across one of the many small lakes (otherwise known as water hazards to golfers)

There were several egrets hanging out while I was painting and my plan was to include them in the finished study. They flew away. I painted some in anyway. A "study" is a quick painting, usually small, that captures the light, values, shapes and color notes of the moment. Mine were done on 5x7 pieces of canvas paper taped to a larger panel and my aim was to finish in an hour or so. I had success though I wish I had taken a photo of my little "studio" on the bridge, but you'll have to take my word for it.

A couple of days later I did a little reconnaissance mission, which involved getting on a bicycle and riding it. It's been a long while since I've ridden a bicycle. A long, long while. (Cue the fanfare...) I did it! And with not a mishap! So I rode to a beautiful, marshy park and took several photos, getting inspiration for more painting. This is not me in the bike photo, by the way.   

The bicycle was of the cruiser variety and had both a large basket on the front and a fender rack on the back, so the next day I was able to load it up with my basic stuff and carry the tripod on my back. What a beautiful, peaceful morning! The viewing tower provided an excellent place to set up "studio" and paint. With the light changing so fast, I simplified the scenes and was able to do two paintings in an hour and a half! Not masterpieces and not perfect, but so much fun! Again no "studio" photo; you'll have to take my word for it.

What I do have are these three little plein air studies of the water and marshes in South Carolina Low Country. I will use these as references for larger paintings sometime this winter. You have my word on it!