S'no Day Like a Snow Day

With winter weather persistently holding on, some days can be more difficult than others to travel back and forth to work. Just last week, we had so much snow paired with high winds, that not one but two days out of the week I ended up stranded in 4-5 feet snow drifts in the middle of the road. This is the time of the year that you want to be the best of friends with your neighbors, especially the ones with tractors! With just a phone call, some minutes later, I was rescued from the volumes of the fluffy white stuff so deep iI couldn’t open my door! With a wave of his hand and a snicker, my neighbor put me on my way, and to Cheap Joe’s and beyond I went! Some days, however, I’m not so lucky, and I may unfortunately incur a snow day. A snow day can definitely have its advantages though, besides staying home in your pajamas all day, it can also be the perfect opportunity to watch dvds, scan through books, practice new techniques and have uninterrupted time to explore your creative side.

I could watch daytime tv or check out the latest Netflix, but what I’m really interested in is watching painting DVDs. I just love the opportunity to learn something new. When reviewing new DVDs, I always keep a sketch pad and pencil close by to take good notes of the highlights of the lesson. I make detailed sketches and comments throughout the viewing. This exercise makes the information easier to recall when I plan my painting. I will usually go through the entire DVD and then prepare my painting area and watch it again pausing as I go so Ii can practice as the artist is demonstrating. This is very instrumental in learning difficult techniques or using new materials. There are many wonderful artists producing DVDs and books today. We are very fortunate to have these learning materials available to enhance and expand our knowledge of art and painting. Watching DVDs is a great way to get inspired to paint.

Inspiration can come along in a lot of ways. It can fall out of the sky or appear out of the blue. Even my daily commute to work can be a wonderful source of inspiration. Each day brings new views, new subjects, and incredible opportunities to paint. What would seem like a monotonous drive to most, often affords me the chance to capture pictures of wonderful views that only come along once in a long while. In the winter the weather changes so dramatically sometimes it creates natural phenomena such as frozen fog. One morning not long ago, I was driving through Valle Crucis, on my way to work, and across the field to my right, I could see cows eating their morning breakfast. Not too exciting, I know, but just beyond them was a line of trees covered in frozen fog. The morning air was at just the right temperature to actually freeze the droplets of moisture suspended in the early mist that blanketed the valley. wow, what a wonderful sight. It was lucky for me that I had left a few minutes early to run an errand in town, I had just enough time to park my truck on the side of the road and capture the frosty splendor with my camera. The errand had to be delayed, but hey, opportunities like this don’t come along every day. So you have to strike when the iron is hot!

You never know when you might have your next great idea for a painting. Looking around as you go about everyday chores will sometimes reveal little gems that create wonderful works of art. I would imagine that sometimes the great masters found their inspirations for their great paintings purely by accident, by wandering around or possibly while traveling to town just to get a loaf of bread. Whether its a snow day or any day, finding the time to paint is important in developing your art. And taking the time to look around may cause you to stumble on your next great discovery! Happy Snow Day!