Painting Beautiful Places...Creighton Island, GA

'Twin Palms'           8x10     plein air Pastel

A tropical storm was brewing in the Atlantic when we boarded the ferry that would take us to Creighton Island. We were ten intrepid plein air painters who would spend a week on a private island off the Georgia coast without electricity or the comforts of home.  Our cabins, built for hunters, had no windows....just screens. The cold winds from the storm would keep us bundled in our sleeping bags at night. The only good thing about the cold windy weather is that it would keep the palmetto bugs at bay. It was a scary trip at night to the outhouse as the island was populated by wild boar. We would cook our meals over the fire and sit around at night sharing ghost stories.

By day we would paint. We would buddy up and criss cross the small island looking for things to paint. And there was plenty. The marshes were expansive and full of Fall color. There were trees hung with moss, open fields with cattle, and of course palm trees. I painted these palms on one of my daily excursions.  At the end of the week we had show and tell and the ten of us set up our paintings for all to see. The variety was awesome. It felt like a real accomplishment that we survived a Hurricane and managed to paint some beautiful paintings!

One of our cabins...all the comforts of home!

Keeping warm by the Fire