Labor Day Wanderings

Plein Air Watercolor Sketch in Hico, Texas

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,

Strong and content I travel the open road.

Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road”

Monday.  Labor Day.  At around 11:00 this morning, I suddenly felt the window slamming shut on my three-day holiday.  I had not yet taken to the open road, and determined that it was today or not for a long time.  I gassed up my Jeep and felt the whisper of Hico, Texas, a town I had not visited in several years, but could still remember that quaint boulevard running down the center of historic downtown, replete with park benches and a gazebo.  The afternoon drive proved to be a long and arduous one, with termperatures lingering right at a hundred degrees, but I loved the old boulevard the moment I saw it. Once I began work on the sketch, I found the nonstop traffic rumbling along the highway through the middle of town to be a comfort, and I focused on the rough-cut stone facade of one of the historic buildings replete with a Coca-Cola ghost sign.  I had tried this composition a few years back and was glad to rest the watercolor block on my knees for a second try.

My Littered Work Area

The play of the hot sun off the rusticated facade delighted my eye, and I spent most of this afternoon peering at those textures and colors, attempting to capture them on the page.  Throughout the afternoon, Walt Whitman’s words resounded in my memory, and I was grateful for his companionship.

Hico, Texas bench with watercolor and the view

Thanks for reading.

I paint in order to remember.

I journal when I feel alone.

I blog to remind myself that I am not alone.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hico, Texas–Painting the Town on a Hot Summer Day

Downtown Hico, Texas

Now that school is underway, I really miss the open road and those splendid opportunities of the past summer to paint en plein air.  Though the temperatures remained at triple digits (including this afternoon spent in Hico, Texas), I nevertheless found favorable settings for watercoloring in the open air.

Hico, Texas was a fun place to pass the day.  From this location, I was situated on the divided street of the main drag, enjoying the shade of trees and gazebos.  There was even Wi-Fi available, and I was able to blog on that particular afternoon from the place where I painted.  A number of the town’s citizens dropped by out of curiosity, watched me paint, and engaged me in meaningful conversation.  To me these are the most perfect moments in creating art–the privilege of talking to strangers who will not remain strangers.  I felt a real “connectedness” on that day, with every conversation that transpired.  I am hoping that when the temperatures cool, the leaves turn, and the art festival season ends, that I will be able to return to Hico for further work.  I was fascinated with the age of the public buildings, with their rusticated, cut-stone exteriors, old signage and fabulous shadows.  And I now know that the public is very receptive to artistic endeavors on the main drag.

Thanks, Hico!  It was a fun day, and I look forward to returning.  And thanks all of you for reading.