Study for a Commissioned Painting
Notes From My Residency Journal
Today was a truly fine day at Fair Oaks with low humidity and temperature in the mid 80's. This marked the beginning of my favorite season, Fall. I am preparing to do a commissioned painting of the back pond, now dry. The client wants the pond to be full of water, so some artistic license will be important. Luckily, I am used to those kinds of requests, and often, the pond really is full of water.
I set up my paint box in the shade and was immediately attacked by hungry mosquitos, but I fended them off quickly with my new best friend, a product called Bug-X. It is sold in a little wrapper and is a paper cloth like a moist towelette. You rub it on your arms legs and neck. I then stuff it up into my hat. Within a minute, the bugs were gone and I wasn't bothered again for the two hours I painted.
While painting, I watched dozens of Crows fly around the pond and caw at each other. I've always been quite fond of Crows since I was a child. My parents bought me a series of books written by Thornton Burgess. Each book was a story about woodland animals and birds. Blacky the Crow was one of my favorites. I suspect that those books helped me to form a love for nature and the land.
The dry pond is turning in wheat to rust colors quickly now. I so love to see it in Fall and Winter. The wild Sunflowers are sprouting up along the roadside and the wild white flowers with yellow centers are growing in the fields at Fair Oaks. The fields are a riot of textures and colors now. I love driving along in the golf cart with the swishing noise it makes through the tall grasses. The smell of fall is intoxicating. Soon the fields will be mowed for the winter season. The staff will soon be working on Fields 1 and 2, so I have been banned from driving there for awhile. I still have plenty of land to paint and explore.This time of year, Fair Oaks begins to be beautiful in a new way, the best way to me.
Lunch was a real treat with hamburgers and the fixings along with potato salad. Yummy!!! I always enjoy my time with my host and the staff. The conversation takes off in many interesting directions and there is always a little tidbit for me to learn. Today I learned about putting boats onto trailers.
After lunch, I reluctantly made my way home after another day in paradise.
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