Prep time

It's almost the 4th of July which means the summer Festival of Arts is about to begin. On Thursday night there is an award ceremony followed by a preview night and I am receiving 2 awards this year which has me a little more excited than usual. On Friday the "Painting the Town" event begins with breakfast in Old Town followed by all of us "on location" painters scattered throughout the town of Marblehead. I usually participate in this plein air event and in the past have always been drawn toward a more peaceful, isolated painting location. This year everything is going to change!

Because of my continuous passion for encaustic painting I am going to plein air paint with wax at Deveraux Beach. Today I drove by to make sure there were secure, safe tables I can use to set up my portable camping stove along with my encaustic paints and brushes.

View from shaded picnic table area -

I already prepared 2 wood panels with layers of wax medium so that I can get right to painting with pigmented wax. I have never painted outdoors using the camping stove and being at the beach location with the changing light and sun should be a new adventure. I am curious to see how different my palette choices will be.

Stack of panels and floater frames, ready and waiting -

We have all of Friday to paint with the deadline to submit finished, framed, paintings by 5pm (although there is now an allowance for those artists that need until 9am Saturday). A reception is held later Saturday afternoon and the exhibit remains intact until the end of the festival.