The weather forecast for the past few days has been consistently promising rain. It probably will rain.

I am committed to painting outdoors every day this year, rain or shine. It is about to get interesting.

You dear friends are not, but even so, part of my promise to you and this group is that we would all have the opportunity to paint together at 2 pm every
Sunday, except when I'm out of town or overseas.

With this in mind, I have been thinking that on rainy days we could paint downtown under the shelter of the shop verandas. There are not usually a lot of people around on a wet Sunday afternoon. It could be a good time to study buildings, vehicles, and umbrellas. Heh.

This Sunday I suggest that we meet at Montgomery Square, near Whitcouls. If the day is fine, or the rain has passed, we can perhaps go on to Anzac Reserve.


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Location:Sunday 22 March. Montgomery Square.

Sunday 15th March.

Monaco again.

See you there at 2 pm.

Cheers!

Ross


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Sunday 8 March

I thought that it would be nice to explore the sea side again.
We can meet at the end of the Monaco peninsular. There is a nice little coffee bar there.
I painted there this week.
See you at 2pm

Cheers, Ross

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Hermit lsland

The Waimea Estuary is huge. One of the biggest in New Zealand. I believe that there are hundreds of islands, some quite large, like Rabbit Island, and many very small, like this one, just of the end of Monaco, the peninsular suburb of Nelson.

This little Island, barely a hectare at high tide, has this ramshackle dwelling tucked behind some low growing coastal trees and shrubs. I don't know if anyone in fact lives there, but one passing local told me once, "That's where the hermit lives."

This may be so, or not, as the case may be, but I know if I ever felt a compelling urge to do the hermit thing, I can't imagine a more interesting and evocative setting.

Actually, I don't know what a hermit does. Do they sit and watch the tides come and go? Watch the seagull quarrelling over fishy remnants? No newspapers. That could be a blessing. I could read all the great books I promised myself I would read before I grew old.

But no. Probably not. I'd most likely continue to paint en plein air every day. Without distractions perhaps even twice a day. Now there's a thought...



15060. "Hermit Island." Oil on panel. 12x9 in. $150.

Any painting from this blog may be purchased by emailing me at

rosswhitlock@inspire.net.nz

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