Early Morning in Traverse City

My first early morning painting this summer was at the boat launch at the open space in Traverse City, Michigan.  I arrived bright and early at 7am.  The sun had come up but was still low on the horizon.  The clouds formed a V-shaped pattern and the atmosphere and colors in the distance glowed a cool yellow.  The flies were out and about.  As I set up my gear along the break wall, dozens of small fish jumped out of the water to eat the flies.  The splash of the fish and the morning silence enveloped me as I started my first painting.  Only a few people were out and about, walking their dogs or taking a morning jog.  The smell of the freshwater wakes up the senses and brings about a renewed hope for another beautiful day in Northern Michigan.  A small boat jetted by quickly and I was able to capture an image of it on my phone.  As I worked my sole focus was the scene before me and getting it down in the next hour.  After an hour the light would change so drastically and the scene before me would look nothing like it did currently.  As I started to paint the boat into the image, a man walking his dog stopped to look at the painting.  He reminisced about being artistic in high school and as he walked away he uttered, “I really should do some painting.”  As I was putting my finishing touches on the painting another man walked over to see my painting and talk to me about my artwork.  As it turned out he was a local radio personality, and we had a good conversation about art and photography.  As it happens he is avid photographer and sells his work.  We shook hands, and he walked away his shoes echoing in the distance.  My thoughts of our conversation took hold and I went back to the painting, putting a few final touches before packing up my supplies.  This morning is ingrained into my conscious.  This snapshot of a moment in time is reinforced by the product of the painting.  Time stood still and the memory of the painting will not soon be forgotten.  Each painting recalls a moment of time.  Some relaxing, some anxious, some funny, some peaceful, some beautiful, and some unnerving.  But each moment is a slice of life.  A life of painting in Northern Michigan.  ​