It's Hard To Turn It Off

Fish Out of Water

While I used to spend days contemplating what clothes to take on a trip, I am now contemplating what art supplies I might possibly need.  Life has changed.  The years before this it was a watercolor block, a set of pad watercolors and a Crayola Water soluble marker set, the large one.  Now, I want more--pencils, charcoal, pastels--anything I can use with watercolor.  And I keep adding this stuff to the beach bag and the beach bag is keeps growing heavier, almost too heavy to lift.  What does Ellis take to the beach?  His newspaper.  --Nevertheless, this is me and that's him. Trouble butts it's ugly head in  Paradise when I ask him to carry the bag because I have to carry my swim noodle, volley ball and beach hat. It's not all roses on holiday.

Scrolling through my photographs these last days looking for potential painting material I can take along for early morning warm up  drawings,  I came across a couple of watercolors from holiday's past--five years past.  They made me smile and a  more uplifting way to leave you than with Holbein The Younger's sour puss Erasmus and Linda, The Oldest's  heavy handed drawings.   Thank you all for coming along on this journey of mine these past five and a half years.  I appreciate and desperately needed your encouragement, for I came to you a fish out of water. You've all taught me a lot and gave me the courage to persist in my quest to turn one hard edge designer into a soft edge painter. I am grateful for you all on this Thanksgiving Day.  Hugs--lots of them all around.