T' DAY WAS A DAY WE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING OR ANYWHERE TO PAINT

Drab as a clerks desk today. The snow melted off and the contrast is gone between a gray and brown neutral landscape. Atmospheric was the only kind of subject we could eke out of today's landscape. Tim drove today and as usual in the winter we started out at noon. Tim remarked at how neutral the contrast was between all the objects that made up the landscape. On top of that it was snow flurries today. This was the equivalent of painting in an steam room. On top of that finding a great inspirational subject was more difficult than usual. Low contrast, foggy like air, no good spots to pull off made for a really tough painting day. 

After almost a three fourths of an hour of driving Tim suggested we just make an atmospheric painting that just shows the effect of the snow flurries. Okay but we still a had to find a place to stop. My area in the back seat facing out the side window with Tim's seat pushed back limited my working area to just the seat width with my legs folded and crammed under me. Add to that the windows had snow melting on them as soon as the snow hit the window. My legs were going to sleep. Tim was mumbling up front that his was not going to be a good pastel drawing. I felt the same as I continued to add paint using burnt sienna brown, cobalt blue, red medium and white mixtures to the paper canvas. Only a half an hour into the painting time Tim quit. I'm done he said and I don't like it. Well mines not much better either. Let's eat. We were supposed to make two paintings today. We'll eat and then we'll see if anything else is landscape worthy. Subway subs was the bill of fair today. We're hooked on Subway's subs covered with everything "drag it through the garden" style. Afterwards we headed back home. Nothing had any kind of inspirational impact on either of us. This was kind of a bust day. When I saw his pastel I remarked at how I liked it and that it really did show the atmospheric quality of todays landscape. Success. Mine? He liked it as well.  Monday...12?  "Sure, It's my turn to select a spot. Let's make it Wabash. We can see a show at the Honeywell Center of a watercolorist's exhibit,Terry Armstrong Jan. 6 - Feb. 6  and paint somewhere downtown. Yeah, we can stop at Subway too."