Painting in Public

Working in public, Day of the Dead festival in downtown Mesa, AZ

Crowds of people passing by, tables and booths of every type of artwork and hand crafted items. .  .  . a festive mood in the air, with music and the buzz of people laughing and talking. The experience of painting on location at an outdoor event can be intimidating or empowering. It is something that did not come naturally to me, as I wanted to be able to 'make my mistakes' in private and not present my art until it was finished to my satisfaction.  Painting in public takes a certain amount of confidence and ability to let the setting fade from your awareness. It is something that I had to learn to do, and to become comfortable with. It is, however, a wonderful "draw", because people will stop and hang around to watch and ask questions. I like to have a completed piece available, as well as my sketchbook, so they can see the process in its stages. This picture of me "in action" was from the recent Day of the Dead festival held at the Mesa Art Center on October 30. I was stationed right outside the door to the MAC Artist Co-op, which lucky for me was in the shade on that unseasonably warm day!  I was taking my turn manning the "Day of the Dead"- themed display table which was stocked with a wide array of art made by us Co-op members just for this occasion, including the set of "Skulls" pictured in my previous post.  You can click on this image to see more detail. I have a series going of wine bottle and glasses studies, and two are on the walls inside the Co-op. This is the latest one in progress, and it was a fun opportunity to share my work with the public!