Spring

It came to Pataskala, OH as a glorious day full of sun. I had to get out and paint. I was so excited by the sun and the spring equinox that I forgot to take much notice of what I wore when I got into the car. All I knew was that Martin said it was going to be warm. I only drove about 2 miles from home and saw something that caught my eye. I had been driving by this place for almost 16 years and never noticed this cluster of barns until today. I quickly turned into a drive on the opposite side of the road. This house does a large pick-your-own vegetable field which I painted in the early 90's. Before I could knock on the door, the owner opened it. I handed him my card, and started to tell him I was an artist and could I leave my car in his drive. He was in agreement and reminded me not to get into the mud. I gathered my supplies, and already I could tell it was colder than I thought. I put on a rain slicker that happened to be in the car, but after two hours, my hands were frozen, as were my feet. Martin forgot to tell me about the windchill index. I came home, hand lunch, put on my silk underwear and some other layers and after talking with Martin, went back out to my new favorite spot about 5 miles from here. There is a complex of structures. My favorite is a white barn with a roof in three colors, green, rusty red and blue. Doors are a viridian green. Just an interesting and colorful object sitting there waiting to be painted. I attempted this barn last week on a sunny day. Not feeling it was quite right, I took that painting back out to see if I could make it better. I think I succeeded, but not quite there. Next time, I'll do a new one. But it was a fabulous day no matter which way you look at it. I'll post a photo when I can.