Plein Air Oil Sketch: Artist Mary Taglieri (12 x 12)

It was a learning experience to me. When Punta Gorda VAC plein air group leader Sharon E-mailed me asking whether I would like to paint at Worden Organic Farm Market, which would be open 2-6 PM this afternoon, I said yes in spite of the distance. What came to my mind was all kinds of vegitables with vendors sitting in the sun for me to paint. The E-mail also mentioned that the farmer owners would not charge for commission if our paintings were sold there. I misunderstood the activity was something like Paint the Beach Festival, that is, we could sell on the spot what we painted there. Therefore, I took one 16 x 20 canvas panel with a right size frame. It turned out that they meant to ask the artists to bring framed paintings to display and sell at the market. The farm owners Eva and Chris Worden were very nice to provide two tents for the artists. there were altogether four artists including myself. Except me, the other three artists all unloaded from their cars boxes of paintings, display bins with plastic-wrapped artworks, folded tables and chairs, and racks to put up paintings on, etc. As far as plein air painting is concerned, unfortunately, all their vegitables and people are under a huge roof shelter, something like a barn. When the sun was so bright at noon, from outside, things and people were too dark to paint. I was trying to ask for permission to set up at the space behind the barn, thinking I was able to paint things in the sun but was told that it was a busy working area for farmhands to load and unload things. Therefore, I decided to paint either customers or other artists. The sketch took only an hour. When I tried to start my second sketch, the subject,  a customer, took off as soon as I touched the panel with my brush. I had to call it a day.