Play time...

is always better when it involves friends, and this holds true whether it's in the studio or on the deck!

Paul, Bill & John admire my gift

While Alice, Meg and I played in the studio for three days, 'the gents' contented themselves with antiquing, perusing second hand stores and viewing the sites of the area.  Those of you who know my love of gardening (tongue-tearing-through-my-cheek here) will understand how excited I was to view my gift for the day - a beautifully crafted gardening fork.

In the 'drying room', aka driveway

The frenzy in the studio was pretty unbelievable, with both Meg and Alice tearing up the space with start after start, and even some completions.  I watched in awe as these consummate artists tore through and combined  a repertoire of mixed media techniques that was astonishing.

A Tyvek kind of day

Meg took a piece of Tyvek, secured it to a canvas (to be wrapped on completion), drizzled with with layers of paint, and stamped back into it for a start that is luscious with complexity and earthy colour.

Meg makes the paint fly on a leaf transfer start

Meanwhile, Meg's small 'pup' usurps Opal's normal spot in the studio as she patiently waits for us to stop our play and start hers!

I'm oh-so-patient, here...waiting, waiting, waiting.

Alice, here on day three, knocks off some butterflies on a plastic wrap background that she prepped when last here in the fall.  She'd completed so many paintings in our three days that she could easily open her own gallery.

Alice dances with butterflies

Among other things, I got a chance to play with my new Dylusions Ink sprays from Ranger, which pleased me no end.  Alice had purchased them for me on a recent trip to Maryland.  I'm so hooked that I've got a barb sticking out of each eye!

Oh the colour!

As we moved back and forth between the deck

Paul shoots John while I shoot him

and the studio,

The Three Amigos

we were constantly aware how rich and fortunate are our lives.  Truly the paint fumes, supportive spouses,  sunshine,  flowers, valley, friendship and the wine are really hard to top!