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| My chosen subject before the storm. But things changed in a hurry. |
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| We had to keep laughing just to stay warm. My faithful gallery of watchers cheered me on. Photos by John Mangels. |
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| The painting continues, along with the snowstorm and bitter cold |
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| The Uhlingers purchased my finished Quick Draw painting |
25 artists braved a blustery and bitterly cold day to compete in the Thomas Moran “Quick Draw” painting competition at Zion National Park. Waking up to temperatures in the 30’s I was wishing I had brought along a pair of gloves in addition to long-johns for this day. As plein air painters we were semi-prepared to paint outdoors in any weather conditions, but some were more prepared than others. The sun ducked in and out of the clouds promising some fantastic views, but as luck would have it, turned into pelting sleet as soon as the competition began. I pulled my hoody over my head to keep the ice pellets from going down my shirt, but my poor fingers had to endure the storm un-covered. Of course as soon as the quick draw was over the sun came out. Each artist had a half hour to frame their painting and submit for the live auction. Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Uhlinger purchase my painting which they had watched me produce. And I was fortunate to receive the “Peoples Choice” award for the event.
