Be Prepared

...Who's bringing the umbrellas, tarps, ponchos, towels, wellies, even a clear shower curtain?

Fellow painters Dan Shaw, John Kerwin, Jacob Towle, Mary Altieri, Betsy Lewis and I traveled to Jeffersonville, Vermont for some pre-autumn painting knowing full well the foreboding weather forecast for our four day visit.

Two weeks earlier Hurricane Irene dumped as much as 12 inches of rain in Vermont, overflowing river banks, crippling roads and knocking out bridges and power. And now the large swirling mass of Hurricane Katia was out in the Atlantic bringing in more moisture to the water-logged state. Calling the lodge owners at Sterling Ridge Resort in a panic, their re-assuring response was..."Come on up, everything is fine here!"

Fortunately, the daily view from our cabin's back porch included slow moving bovines munching their way through a pasture and a mist-shrouded Mt. Mansfield in the distance. Some painters took full advantage of the protected space and painted. Others undeterred by the rain, packed up gear and drove their vehicles to paint the lower valley along the Lamoille River as well as the small cascades on the Brewster River at the Grist Mill Bridge and further up on Canyon Road, a beautiful waterfall. Just be aware of fast rising rivers and seek higher ground the weather forecasters and locals told us!

There were successful paintings created during our trip and not all from under the shelter of a porch but from under umbrellas and car hatches.

NOTE: To increase painting success in damp weather, be prepared to make large piles of paint on palette to slap on the canvass. Using paint sparingly in such conditions will cause the paint not to adhere properly to canvass...Remember! Oil and water do not mix. Be prepared.