Painting with the Peeps, Beach Walker 13099 and Chair Precision for Dreams of the Turtle King by Texas Contemporary Painter Nancy Standlee

Nancy Standlee Art Blog showcases paintings of acrylic, collage, mixed media, watercolor, plein air and workshop experiences.

This was painted over the weekend while taking a long holiday with my painting peeps, Canvas by Canvas in Gun Barrel City and Payne Springs on Cedar Creek Lake. We pack lots of food and art supplies and rent a roomy house on the lake twice a year. I completed 6 images for the book of poems I’m illustrating, written by Denise Bossarte and scheduled for publication in December. The above painting was the first one I completed for the book in watercolor and it can be seen here on the blog and on Daily Paintworks.
Dreams of the Turtle King blog can be found HERE.

 Deep Dish Apple pie I made for the peeps with honey crisp apples and just playing it forward as Leslie Saeta had made one for us during the oil, palette knife workshop in Sandbridge.

 The dock at the lake house is now all green grass as Cedar Creek Lake is receding due to drought.

 The studio on the left and we place finished paintings on the mantle and paint while looking over the lake. We can paint first thing with coffee and with Ott lights as long as we want in the evening. We bring photos or make our own set ups and this weekend we were painting for our own use but sometimes we paint Canvas by Canvas projects. We divide the meals up so responsibility is shared. Some of us even share rides and some of us bring so many art supplies we have to drive alone and can you guess which one is the lone driver? We are responsible for our own breakfast unless another member can be cajoled into providing it. The living room area is large and about 4 or 5 steps down from a large dining area off the kitchen.  We can sit outside and view the lake from the covered back patio with a large table and chairs. 
We take an afternoon break and watch artist DVD’s and we have decided we like to have our bigger meal at lunch and have wine and snacks, appetizers and leftovers in the evening. I don’t think we watched the “news” once and no wifi… only our cell phones. Now I could use some wifi and missed my Facebook friends. Some had to have a wifi break on Saturday to go download some apps they had learned about and found a local business with wifi and sat in the parking lot just so they could download some favorite art apps. When 7 people are gathered someone always has a new app to share. One that I use and love that they enjoyed was Accuview and I shared Paper 53.

We are so much creatures of habit and Barbara and I have been sharing this side of the room since the beginning overlooking the front yard but who takes time to look around when busy painting so having a lake view is not a priority for us. We bring tables, easels, oil, acrylic and watercolor paints, our journals and on and on. If someone has left something at home one of the others is sure to have it and will share. We celebrate birthdays and have parties and gifts and this time it was Connie’s. 

Other paintings will be posted soon that were painted at the lake house. If you can make a date with girl friends for a painting holiday, share stories and food and paint the weekend away.