From the North Star State to North Carolina

Downstairs at Rita’s, 7 x 9½" watercolor

Here’s where I slept most nights on my recent visit to Minnesota. Rita and I go all the way back to a design conference in 1980 at Lutsen, Minnesota where she and my business partner Rick met and began a four-year romance. Rita learned and owned a computer before I did, so soon after graphic design made the leap from drawing board to desktop, I spent hours with her and an occasional client in this sub-level space. Not much trace of a computer now, as Rita has retired from that business.

Seems I’ve acquired the habit of painting most of the places I stay when I’m on the road. I missed, however, painting my accommodations last Friday night in New Bern, NC. During the town’s Friday ArtWalk, I painted in front of Carolina Creations Fine Art & Contemporary Craft Gallery where my North Carolina Meets French Impressionism show now hangs. Artist owners of Carolina Creations, Michael and Janet, graciously put me up for the night in their nifty studio guest room.

Here I was, beginning a painting in front of Carolina Creations. That's not paint on my palette; that's cheese for my palate. Photo compliments of artist Michaelé Rose Watson.

Headed for Hawaii

My friend Kazuko’s, 7x9½" watercolor

I can think of only one bad thing about having friends and that is losing friends, either because they move away or pass away.

Wednesday I returned from a two-week vacation in Minnesota. I was there last year and would have held off going for another year except for one thing. My dear friend Kazuko is moving later this month from a Minneapolis suburb to Hawaii to be closer to her son. Unless my ship comes in big time, I don’t foresee any trips to Hawaii in my future. So this may have been my last chance to see her; certainly this warranted my trip to Minnesota.

I did the painting right after finishing a wonderful Japanese meal that she’d prepared for us. The best view of her house was from across the street in a neighbor’s driveway. She saw that they were treated to sushi afterwards, so I wasn’t to worry about trespassing.

The painting will be my going away gift to Kazuko, so this one will one day hang in Hawaii. This painting in winter with snow would have offered a greater contrast to the Aloha state. Don’t ask why I don’t relish the idea of plein air painting during a Minnesota winter.