82.  Original Plein Air Watercolor Painting, "Plein Air, 7-8:30pm, Easton Point boat launch hi tide, one blue heron, 7.10.24”, watercolor, 30 x 42”, 2024

Location: Easton, MD

Event: Plein Air Easton

Event Awards: Grand Prize, Quick Draw; Auto-invite for Plein Air Easton 2025

This painting was made before the start of Plein Air Easton, during an informal paint-out get-together of local artists, all-comers welcome. “Are you one of the competition artists?” I was asked. I’d never been to anywhere where people were actually aware of an art competition! “Art isn’t a competition”, I said, “…but yes.” I was, of the 58 competition artists participating in Plein Air Easton 2024, the only one who had showed up for the optional informal paint-out with locals the week the competition started. Between that and the moderate success of this piece, including a fly-by from a half-size, juvenile blue heron, I felt good omens for the week, my first ever plein air painting event. The tide was high, coming in even to the level of my painting board on the pavement when there were wakes. The sky was glorious, and it felt good to just be painting plein air again after not doing much for the month of June, in-between ArtX Flagstaff and Easton. I was proud of the effect of the parking sign on the post in the center of the picture.