RETREAT

Withdrawal? Shelter? Flee? Why do we take these painting vacations? They are retreats, or re-treats. They may be withdrawals from our daily lives, shelters from the mundane, and a temporary fleeing from our regular responsibilities, but we think of them as ways to TREAT ourselves over and over again! We connect with new knowledge, practice new skills, and search for inspiration among the unique local sights.  This trip met those expectations.

Oil Pastel of Banyan Tree, side yard- Little White House, Key West

Presidents have been finding Key West a splendid retreat since 1946.  According to the history of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Truman was in sore need of a rest following the war years and war economy.  After an inspection of the Naval Station on Key West, Truman soon found the quarters there just the right place to recover his emotional and physical health. Since then many presidents and dignitaries have found it a welcome refuge.  We’d walked many miles down the main street of Key West before arriving at the Little White House, so we’d had our exercise and found the lawn chairs in the big side yard a welcome sight. Walt and I sat and spent a leisurely afternoon sketching there before taken the interior tour (no charge for sitting in the side yard). (I enjoyed experimenting with the oil pastels I brought.) The water and sun were to our back and shade and flowering shrubs were laid out in front of us. Perhaps “Harry” himself sat here and put his feet up.

This is the pie I made.  It's easy and fast.

Next stop was Kermit’s Key West Key Lime store for what else? Key Lime pie! I think I had a pie-a-day.  Now, with as much walking as we did, I could easily justify the pie, and a retreat is no time to say “no” to yourself!  A literal treat. Yum! We purchased a bottle of their key lime pie juice.  It comes with a pie recipe as follows:

1-9 in graham cracker crust

2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk 

6 egg yolks

½ cup Kermit’s key lime juice

Blend milk and egg yolks at low speed until smooth. Add key lime juice and finish blending. Pour into pie crust and bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes before refrigerating.  Serve thoroughly chilled pie topped with fresh whipped cream.

  

Sometimes you find a moment of calmness and a reminder from another species to just “be”, breathe deeply and be still.  A sighting of a pair of placid manatees in a cove near our residence did just this. Unfortunately, they were a bit too far for a good photo, but we felt grateful for their presence.

"Once A Refuge" 24 x 24 oil on panel Available

Finally, we discovered the local Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.  It's an interesting walk through local flora, fauna and relics of local history (Cuban boats).  My painting above is based on one of the Cuban boats displayed which once ferried hopeful Cubans out of Castro’s Cuba to Florida—a different retreat than what we were experiencing. Something for us to ponder. Learning is restorative in itself, and we felt refreshed by the diverse collection we encountered here.

We found Key West to be a multifaceted place—bars, bistros, music, fishing, sun, wild chickens, small homes, big yachts, museums, flowers, history, color, art—the low-brow and the high-brow. 

New knowledge.  New skills.  New ideas.  Refreshed. 

Key West:  What a treat!

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Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions. 

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily Paintworks Gallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.

 

Packing Memories

We just took one of those trips where we dipped into the past and dipped into the future. A foot in both places. We traveled to Key West, Florida.  Walt has memories of traveling through the Keys as a teenager, fishing in the waters, and a boyhood friend.  This childhood friend, who he most associates with Key West, died unexpectedly just before we left for the trip; we thought and spoke of him as we drove along the highway into Key West and often during our stay. 

"Once A Refuge"  Oil Pastel Sketch

It was my first journey to this area of Florida and it was chosen as an outdoor oil painting vacation.  As the time approached for the trip, I had misgivings about the oil painting.  I had just finished a 30/30 challenge (30 paintings in 30 days) in September, had recently participated in some plein air events, and worked hard on several exhibits.  I wanted a break from my usual oil painting routine.  I packed a traveling set of watercolors.  Then I looked through my art cabinet and pulled out an old box of art materials that had belonged to my art teacher mother.  Many, many years had passed since her death. These supplies were a tangible connection between us and our love of art, and I hadn’t wanted to consume them.  But I was now ready to use the beautiful colored conte′ crayons and oil pastels, and honor the enjoyment she had with them.  So I packed them in my suitcase with some suitable paper.  Here was a gift of new possibilities from my mother just waiting to be opened.

Key West Lighthouse watercolor sketch

We packed another memory for this trip—the memory of a painting my grandfather, an accomplished architect and watercolorist, had done of the Key West lighthouse.  It was a delight for us to find the spot from which he viewed the lighthouse and sketch it ourselves.

At this time of Thanksgiving and thoughts of family, I am especially aware how grateful I am for my artistic heritage. The memories we recalled reinforced our feelings about just how enhanced are lives are even as we are saddened by losses long past and near past.  We’re indebted and appreciative in the most enthusiastic way.

"Waiting for Baby" oil

The NOW is bringing a NEW gift with unlimited possibility —a grandchild and grand-parenthood!  

(I'll tell you in the next issue if I'm a grandmother and also about what we saw in Key West, artists we met, and about six-toed cats and sandwich-eating chickens!)

If you want to be the first to know about exhibits and discounts, sign up for my NEWSLETTER email list on the home page of Sheffield Art Studio.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions.  

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily Paintworks Gallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.

Things They Are A-Changin'

Things are bubbling and brewing and stirring!  It’s not Halloween.  I feel good changes coming on.  Was it just a few posts ago that I wrote about the Road Renewed?  Maybe after staging three solo shows recently (remind me to space them out!), I’m excited about stirring things up in my work.  As the daughter of two teachers, it’s in my blood to do that by learning.  In the next few weeks and months I plan to spend time in workshops learning encaustic (painting with hot wax) from Dianne T. Rodwell, discovering colorful transparent oil paints from Dreama Tolle Perry, and understanding the Cape Cod school method of underpainting from Mike Rooney. What a lineup! I will practice my watercolor techniques and sketch.  I will experiment and paint without deadlines.  Hallelujah!  We’ll see what bubbles to the surface.  It’s a journey!

We just returned from a quick trip to the Miami area and visited galleries and street art fairs. It’s always fun to see the diversity of styles and trends that we might not see in our local galleries.  We saw lots of hot colors and cool metallic, abstracts and mixed media.

I’d like to leave you with what I’m calling the “People’s Pick” –those paintings which received the most attention at my recent Cary Gallery of Artists “Luminous Landscapes and More Sparkle (paintings on copper).” One thing I enjoy about exhibit receptions is listening and watching the reactions to my work. I hope you enjoy this mini exhibit.

Calm in the Basin 12 x 12 framed to 17 x 17 oil

Shimmering Stones 10 x 8 oil

 
 
 
 




















Bunting and 'Brella 12 x 12 framed to 17 x 17 oil



Beach Grass 18 x 24 oil

What is YOUR journey?  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions.

 

Our next travels?   Taos NM in the spring and we hope Key West in the fall.

 

Have palette.  Will travel

In Cary, my paintings are available at Cary Gallery of Artists 200 S. Academy St. in downtown Cary Ashworth Village. 919-462-2035 Mon-Sat 11 am - 5:30 pm. 

On the coast, my works are available at Figments Gallery, 1319 Military Cutoff, Landfall Shopping Center, Wilmington, NC 28405 910-509-4289

www.sheffieldartstudio.com

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