Oil
9 x 12
No you won't see Peter Rabbit in this painting but I assure you of his, or rather their, presence! I so wish I had a photo of me trying to plein air paint at Forest Park in Noblesville, IN on this day. Karen Miles, Kristin Whitney and I went there for a peaceful day of plein air painting - listening to the birds, feeling the breeze, and finding inspiration. We found our spots and began painting. Fifteen minutes later, several women arrived at a nearby picnic shelter. Within 30 minutes there were 30 children, ages 3 - 5, and their parents. The children, all well behaved by the way, swarmed around me on all sides playing tag, kicking balls, and generally having a great time. Meanwhile, I struggled to focus on my painting and finally gave up. The painting above is the product of hours painting plein air and one hour of refinement in the studio with a well deserved glass of wine.
The group at the picnic shelter was from the local Peter Rabbit Preschool for their year-end family picnic. One of the teachers came up to us as we were packing up and shared that the children had been learning about art and artists at the school. Apparently, it was an art history lesson because one of the children pointed at us and exclaimed, "Look! Those ladies are artists and they aren't dead!"
