Plein Air Sketch: Forest Park, Queens (The Place Where the Bridle Path and Human Path Meet)

 

 

 

I knew it was going to rain this morning before I left home. I simply wanted to take the chance. So I headed for Forest Park anyway, pulling the painting kit with me. In fact, it was raining all the way to the park, but I hoped it would stop. The overhead pass in the middle ground was Union Turnpike. I saw horseback riders come into the park by 71st Rd. Entrance. Under the Turnpike overhead, the bridle path and human trail ran side by side, but not at the same height. The human trail was higher than the bridle path, for the sake of safety, I guess. I had good luck till about 20 minutes before I finished painting. It started to rain heavily. I had to hold the umbrella with one hand while painting with the other one. Of course, the palette, the two paint boxes, and the painting itself were all covered with water droplets. The tough part was the closing. It was difficult to put everything back using only one hand, especially with the Julian easel's legs. Therefore, I had to leave the umbrella on the ground and did things in the rain no matter how heavy it was. Overall, the process went smoothly. It's worth soaking.