New Life Island blog

Day 5

2006-09-23T11:38:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, it is raining, today. So, unless the skies open up, I don't think there will be any painting, today. That leaves me with 3 unfinished and 3 completed paintings. I've been spending time with Cherie, the Camp Director's wife, today, and will be packing up later on.

This will be my last post from the island, however I will probably be posting the completed paintings as I finish them in the near future. Also as next fall approaches, I will more than likely be posting what is happening as far as auctioning off the paintings for the camp.

I feel like a better artist. Painting 6-7 hours a day has really strengthened my endurance for painting long hours, has sharpened my abilities, and (I'm quite surprised at this) has gotten me excited about painting. I thought I would be really tired of painting by this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the day off, but if the sun were to come out this moment, I'd be ready to suit up and head out again.

There is an excitement and urgency in capturing on canvas what beautiful things one sees. Being outside has been lots of fun (yes, even dealing with the dirt, cold and the bugs). This was a working retreat, however it was very beneficial to be rid of some of my regular daily responsibilities so that I could simply focus on art. I didn't have to cook for 5 days. . .it was a nice break, but I look forward to cooking again - I'm looking forward to getting back into my usual routine. It feels like starting fresh with a full pack of energy.

Thank you for reading and watching as I go.
Good bye from the Island. I will keep you updated on how this continues to pan out.

~Bec

Day 4

2006-09-22T21:21:00.000-04:00

Unexpected Morning:

A mixture of disappointment and relief came when I realized at 6:30 that I was going to be able to sleep in today, but it was at the expense of not being able to complete one of the paintings.

Heavy fog with no sun stuck around until about 10 am. It was beautiful. By the time the sun came out (which I am happy that it was out, today) it would have been too late and in the wrong spot to work on the South cabin that I started yesterday morning.

I decided to paint the camp’s beautiful dining hall, however I had to wait to begin until competition time was over for the campers. So my morning was very restful and helped me focus when it came time to paint.

I was satisfied with the amount of paintings that will be completed (if not this week, then later in my studio), so my thought was that two days could be devoted to the dining hall – as it is a much more complex subject. I began painting late morning much to my intimidation.

Here is the progression.

It seems quite pastel in color, and that was not my intention. Working wet into wet is quite a challenge. Hopefully tomorrow I can scrape down some parts to add darker pigment. I am just happy that it looks like the building is structurally sound. I was wondering for a while how that part of it would turn out as this is my first time attempting a building. (other than the simple cabins)

Here is a little friend of mine that stuck around pretty much all day. When I first saw him, he was in with the red paint – blended in quite nicely. He continued to walk on the table for hours – cute little guy.

Sometime tomorrow my husband is coming to get me. I can’t wait to see him. But I have one more full day of work left. We are getting excited talking about auctioning the paintings off – figuring out the best way to promote them, etc. I hope lots of money can be brought in for the camp.

I may not be able to tell you what happens tomorrow until Monday as I will be traveling tomorrow evening. But keep checking. For those of you who have been watching this unfold, thank you, it’s been fun putting this up each day. Let me know what you think. Any advice for my last New Life Island painting?

Good evening,
~Bec

Day 3

2006-09-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the Island,

My update will be short, tonight. I need to go to bed earlier than I have been, and still have many things to get done these last two evenings.

God has blessed greatly. I have never had so many paintings turn out in a row before – and in such a short amount of time. I am tired, but I’m not quite tired of painting. (right now, anyway.) If you asked me this morning when I got up I probably would have said I was tired of painting, but right now, I think I’m just plain tired.

I actually took a nap, today. I had put 3 hours of painting in by 10am, and I was cold and hungry. So I decided to have an early lunch (warm soup . . . ahh) read a little from one of my art magazines (The Hudson School Painters – landscape artists that recorded the American terrain, very interesting) and take a short nap before starting another painting. It was a difficult decision, but in the end I believe it was the right one. My mind was fresh for painting, and it had a good result.

Today was another beautiful sunny day - which caused me to wrestle with not using the wonderful lighting for a few hours today. While I’m here, I feel the need to use all the light I have – even if it is light outside 12 hours a day.

Here is a half finished painting (#4). If the sun is out one of these mornings, I will be able to finish it on location. 11x14 (7am-10am)

After a good meal and a rest, I painted some of the camp’s canoes. 11x14 (1pm-5pm.)

So, as it stands, I have 3 complete paintings and 2 incomplete. I have 2 days left to paint.
Thanks for looking – leave me some feedback, it’s a little lonely out here.
Good night
~Bec

Day 2

2006-09-20T21:16:00.000-04:00

Morning Walk:

I headed outside this morning around 7am. I didn’t want to waste any time. The lighting wasn’t right for finishing up my painting from yesterday, so I walked around with my camera. It was so foggy, in places, I couldn’t see the river because of the sun. The fog stayed for several hours, so I wanted to find a good spot for a possible study (a painting done with little detail in a short amount of time) for another morning.

Here are some of the photographs that I took.

I can now say that after two days here, I am getting a little used to the bug thing. Yesterday, after seeing about 4 spiders and 5 unknown bugs within 10 minutes, I had the creepy crawlies for the rest of the day. This morning, I went down toward the edge of the water in obvious spider territory, standing close to about 4 spider webs just to get this photograph. And while I was painting, I looked down and saw to my horror a huge bug crawling on my leg. I think I painted him as I pushed him off of me.

This might be the site of my next painting.

The Pavilion - where all the services are held. Seems sort of Heavenly, here.

Another overlooked use for the volleyball net, spider condos. How cute.

Painting:

News flash: a foggy morning of a soon to be sunny day is not the same lighting as an overcast afternoon. I will finish painting #1 sometime before I leave, if the weatherman is right, I’m sure.

After much debating, I decided to park myself near the lovely bridge. I didn’t intend for it to take the whole day, and I almost packed up about 3 times due to what I like to call the “ugly stage” (lasts for about 3 hours of hard work – the time where you question why you even started painting, you doubt all your abilities. . etc. Every painting has it. ). But I stuck it out and decided each time to have one more sitting and try again.

I bit off more than I could chew, yet again. The bridge is surprisingly detailed and complex, many times I thought, “what did I get myself into??”

It was cloudy, then it was sunny, then the wind blew and it rained leaves and water from the trees, I got cold, I was hungry, spiders were crawling into my bag, strange large bugs were on me, and after all of that the sun had the nerve to shine on the other side of the sky ( I guess that was really the earth’s fault.) But I stayed there (taking a few breaks, of course) asking God for help and didn’t stop painting. I stayed until 3:30.

Maggie came to say hello to me – what a great dog!

Here is the progression:

1 no more block-ins, I wanted to get it right the first time. Large obvious shapes first.

2 Staying with thin paint

3 Adding thicker paint and more color. Redefining darks.

4 Yes, I’m avoiding the bridge

5 Almost There

6 Suddenly a 16x20 shrinks to an 11x14. I will probably work on it from photographs when I get home.

After deciding that I was done, I had an hour and a half until dinnertime. ( I had a special invite). The sun was out, and there isn’t much promise that it will be out again this week, so I took all of my things over to the dining hall determined to paint the bell. It strangely never entered my mind that it was a silly idea to try to paint and finish a painting in an hour and a half, but here I go.

Disaster Strikes:

While I was going back for my second trip while moving my set up, a gust of wind tipped my easel, with the bridge painting on it. Not surprising since I had a huge wooden board on it that acted like a big sail. Praise the Lord nothing happened to it. It looks worse than it was, which is why I was able to take the picture (for you all) before rescuing the painting.

Grand Finale:

The boost that I needed for the end of a long day. Enjoy.

It is signed before I even take it home. This is the fastest painting I’ve ever done that still has paint on the canvas at the end. Usually if I’ve started and finished a painting this quickly, it means that I failed and it ended only because I wiped all the paint off.

~ Day 2 was a very profitable day. I feel that I’m getting better as I go. Landscapes are quite overwhelming to me since I only do still lifes. Could be that’s why the bell painting turned out so quickly.

Thanks for reading.
~Bec

Day 1

2006-09-20T10:52:00.000-04:00

Monday:

With only one day to prepare, my mind has been racing and I was experiencing the effects of an adrenaline rush all day. I even found it difficult to fall asleep.

My photography show hangs one week from today, so I had to tie up many loose ends and bring some work with me for the evenings. i have one day to frame my prints and finish up on tags when I get home.

Tuesday:

We arrived on New Life island at 10am and I was unpacked and settled by 10:30. I went outside with my camera to take a look around for a good spot to begin painting. It was supposed to thunderstorm, today, so I didn't know how much time I would have to paint. I also needed to be somewhat close to the apartment in case of a sudden downpour. So I found a good spot, however the scene wasn't one I should have started out with. It was a bit complex for a first painting.

I was set up and painting by 11:30.

Here is the progression of the painting.

Besides a lunch break and a few quick walks, I painted solid from 11:30 until 5pm. At that point, even though there was plenty of daylight still, my mind was mush, and I was concerned about ruining the painting.

The painting went well, although it isn't finished. I figure if I get out there early tomorrow before the sun comes up, I might have the same lighting I had all day today – that overcast lighting. If not, it’s supposed to be rainy later on this week and I can finish the painting then. So as it stands, I am behind on my goal of 5 paintings. Maybe it was silly to set that goal, but we shall see what the Lord allows me to do.

Things to be thankful for:

~ My first painting was not a bomb. It was a very encouraging start to the week.

~ I didn’t have to stop because of rain. It was supposed to thunderstorm today, and it only drizzled once, and gave me plenty of consistent light for the day.

~ I was fed the best chicken in the world for lunch - slowly cooked over an open grill for 2 hours. I had more for dinner.
~ I have a huge apartment to live in during my stay here. There are three bedrooms, a huge bathroom, a large kitchen, dining room, and a living room with a view of the Delaware River.

~ It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed my first blog from the island. Keep praying for me as I continue to paint.

~ Bec

New Life Island

2006-09-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning, I will be heading to Frenchtown, NJ. My destination will be an island that sits in the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

I will be spending 5 days on the Island painting. Why? Let me tell you about this little island. It is New Life Island - a Christian camp for teenagers that also hosts retreats for ladies and men after the regular camp season. "No one leaves the same" is their tag line, and is it ever true. My husband attended as a teen, and became involved on staff in later years and counseled for 3 years after that. This camp has had a huge impact on the lives of countless teens, churches, and has for me, changed my life through its impact on my husband. We are now pursuing a lifetime serving in youth ministry.

Last year, the island was flooded during the "50 year flood". Many buildings were ruined, but by God's grace they were able to pull everything together in time for the summer camp season. However last year, after all that hard work and money spent on repairs, the area was flooded yet,again, and they had to close their doors during the camp season which set them back $40,000 in expected and much needed revenue. In addition, they also have major expenses in repairs.

My goal is to paint the special places on the island, the cabins,the pathways, the beautiful red bridge, the dining hall, and this time next year, we will auction the paintings and all money will go toward the Island.

Keep watching for updates in the next five days. I look forward to sharing the experience with you.

~Rebecca