The excitement of a painting race

On Saturday the 19th I participated in the inaugural Amazing Art Race in Parksville. This fun event was put together by Jennifer at the McMillan Arts Centre along with premier pastel artist Dan Gray. I hesitated to participate because I am not a Plein Aire (outdoor) painter.  I prefer my climate controlled studio rather than risk sunburn, windburn, frostbite, bug bites and no facilities but I signed up to support the event and I am so glad I did!  

I decided to drop you into my shoes as I recount the day! So let's go!

Participants meet at 9:30 am central Parksville.  There is time to have a chat or two with a few of the artists and most all have noticed how chilly it is. (Next time we will bring a sweater, right?)  Jennifer is handing out a map with numbered locations. The artists will be called randomly to pull the number of their painting location out of a box. Your name is called, you pull a number and are told to be back at the Arts Centre by 1:00 sharp.  It's 10:00. READY set go!

You move quickly to where the car is parked and try to keep your brain from “spinning”.  You have to sit in the car, take a deep breath and check google maps to find out exactly where to go.  Unfortunately a truck pulls up in behind thinking you are leaving your parking spot. Argh!  Not wanting to be a jerk (because parking is few and far between), you jab at the start button on google maps and pull out. OK! At the next light- turn right- go two blocks-through the very long stop light-take your next right- go past the beach club- turn right at the stop sign -right onto the highway AND finally- right into the parking lot and into a spot in front of Royal Le Page. Jumping out of the car you quickly search for and find the flag marker on a large hidden patio. You head back to the car as fast as you can, unload the piled up, bungee strapped, awkwardly heavy rolling tool box and wheel your way to scan for the best viewpoint.  

Overwhelm kicks in.  In the distance lies the sandy beach, blue ocean waters and mountains. Behind you rattles the commotion of a busy intersection. Facing the ocean, you very slowly rotate around clockwise with squinty-view-finder eyes searching for a point of interest, a design idea or something unique that tells a story.  

Imagine:

*White layers of metal rectangle RV's backed by dark evergreens, 

*Random brown buildings facing this way and that, 

*Sun baked patches of yellow grass running alongside lacklustre grey pavement, 

*Blue sky reaching up to wisps of highlighted greyish cloud. 

 *The silhouette of a small plane motors off to the distant left, 

*A flock of birds flutters off to the right, 

*Traffic stops and starts,  the colours changing as they come and go, 

*Buildings peek through breezy shimmering boulevard trees

* a pair of runners dangle loosely over the black power wires

*Dark railings with glass panels bisect sunlit green shrubberized foreground 

Back up!  

Running shoes hanging off of power lines…BINGO!

You have the point of interest!! Grab that 8x24” vertical canvas, slap it on the easel, set the phone alarm for 12:30 and PAINT! 

10:18

The sun is in perfect placement, shadows working well on the boulevard trees.  Scratch the scene quickly with pencil, some lines may stay, some may go.  No time to grab a ruler, it’s there somewhere but there is no time to waste looking.  ❤️Heart rate? Speedier than normal.

Paint over the sketch in transparent golden-yellow to tone the canvas.

Brush on that yellow underpainting

 10:30 

Swoosh the canvas in the air to dry.  Mix up darks, NOT black but a dark blend of colours.  Block in the darkest areas to balance the design.  Build the painting from there.  A group of motorbikes drive by blasting through your deep concentration bringing you out of deep focus to the cement you stand on.  Stabbing the brush into the next level of colour you quickly place the various shades over the canvas tweaking, blending, brushing, scumbling scraping, scratching….the scene is taking shape. ❤️Heart rate? it's settling slightly.

11:18 

You suddenly notice buildings on the left in the distance and simplify them as faded shapes.  A car honking  ..  “Was that necessary?!”  Focus…..You have the advantage of nobody knowing you are here…People walk by on the road below but they do not look up.  Perfect.  No distractions…

That man is carrying a child in a big hurry, you wonder why? Oh… he is catching up to that woman…Focus!!  

The wind picks up and sweeps hair into your face, tickling your nose and your eyelids.  Oh great, here comes the windburn!  Don’t be dramatic, hold your head sideways against the wind and persevere…get rid of the stop sign on the canvas, it’s too much.  The Home hardware logo is red enough… the paint is drying so fast on the palette, it is getting hard to pick up enough of it on the brush. 

No time to fiddle with the stop sign!

Suddenly the song “Kiss” by Prince breaks into the scene….WT?…it takes a second…The alarm! Only a 1/2 hour to finish up, pack up and show up.  ❤️ Heart rate? Kinda racing now.

Almost done but oh!

Where are the power lines and shoes!  A few quick and far too sloppy dark brush strokes and they are done…shouldn’t have put the bottom line through the shoes, not enough time to change it, you did your best in the time allotted. Sign it, pack it, bungee everything down to the cart, pick up your canvas and load the whole whack in the car.  Turn right out of the parking lot, left at the light and arrive at the Mac.

 12:54.   

Put your painting on the table alongside all the others, collect the pre-ordered boxed lunch, find a spot and relax alongside all the other participants.  Chat, eat and sip a glass of Prosecco. 

❤️Heart rate? Mellow.

Award winners are announced and you won 2nd place! … but those awful messy power lines! I guess no one else is bothered except you! 

Head home and fall into a 1 1/2 hour nap.  

Join me next year?

I love the challenge of a long vertical canvas.