Memorials
5×7″ Oil on linen panel
©2016 Lucinda Howe

After practicing in the studio, I took my pochade box and small panels with me on a trip to the mountains with a painting group this past weekend.  We visited a beautiful area near Burnsville, North Carolina and participated in a paintout there.  The challenge of the day was finding a quiet place to paint around other activities that included a farmer’s market, a foot race, and a bike race that had most of the streets blocked.   Because of recent rains, the landscape was very green.  Clear skies and sun cast strong shadows.  When we found a safe place to pull off and set up for painting, I was attracted by a small cemetery with flowers clustered along the fence line and the contrast between the undulating ground and the strong verticals of the trees.

I finished this small piece, framed it in the back of the car, entered it in the show, and attended the evening reception.  I didn’t win a prize from the judge, but for me the real prize was a day of painting with friends in the cool green mountains.