Notes From My Artist Residency
Day 2
I did three small paintings today and I'll have lots of photos as soon as I get back to the studio.
Today was perfect in every way. The biting flies that plagued us on Friday were gone and it was a warm breezy day. For lunch,Warren took two boatloads of our group to the Horseshoe Beach Cafe'. I succumbed to the temptation of fried Mullet with hush puppies and fresh cole slaw for lunch. The restaurant was clean and very nice. The staff was very friendly. Our server, Amanda was charming and extremely efficient. I rolled myself out of the cafe and on to the boat.
After returning to Bird Island I painted almost until sunset. I like to walk down the sea boardwalk just before the sun goes down, taking reference photos at the perfect time of day. The palms turn pink and red just at that moment, so beautiful. I go back to the dock and watch the big red ball quickly slip into the sea. It happens in an instant and I don't imagine I could ever tire of that view.
We enjoyed marvelous baked beans and hamburgers with salad for dinner. Patsy treated us to homemade key lime pie for dessert. After dinner we strolled down to the dock for our nightly sky watching on the bean bags. We were thrilled to see a fabulous shooting star go right over us. It looked close enough to reach out and touch.
Just before it was time to go in, we began to hear some splashing under the dock. We thought it was fish but when the dock lights tree turned on, we discovered a young Night Heron caught in fishing line. Warren lowered Margaret and I down on a gizmo that hauls boats up and down. We were armed with scissors and a scoop net. It was a little scary being lowered down to that dark place but also pretty exciting rescuing a wild creature. We cut the line and got the fish up on the dock. Fred put a towel over the birds head and he and Margaret got busy trying to unwind him from the fishing line. It took some time to free him from the line, which gave me a bit of time to observe him closely. What a beautiful bird. It was a bit of excitement for us and I hope he went on with his life after the trauma, unscathed.
Day 3
Early morning was all about gabbing with my roommate while we played with our smart phones. It's nice to make a new friend. Now we are sitting around the dining room yacking and eating this morning. I had fresh steamed shrimp and fresh pineapple for breakfast and now I'm drinking coffee. I don't know if I'll paint today but I've had a marvelous time. This group is so kind, fun and entertaining. It has been a real privilege and pleasure. We will probably head back to land when the tides are right and I will be posting some photos from this wonderful trip.
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