Painting with Friends

Painting is such a solitary activity that it's sometimes easy to slip into a sort of hermit mindset. So, when a good friend suggested that several of us meet together once a week at her studio and paint, it seemed like a wonderful idea. Friendship, conversation, and creativity - all good stuff!
The day dawned brilliant and clear, and we decided to head out for some plein air instead of staying in the studio. We were joined on this day by our friend Dave, a painter whose works I admire VERY much, and who is also just a really nice person and fun to be around. The view I was painting happened to be facing the direction where Dave had set up his easel, and when I grew frustrated with my painting, I scraped it down, and then saw a perfect opportunity to capture the artist in action. So, while this is a very quick sketch (less than an hour) and I never really developed the background, it was fun trying to paint Dave while he worked. There was an old apple tree right beside me, and I added a bit of shadow as an indication of it to help create a better viewing path into the painting.. The other work was a small, quick field sketch (about 30 min.) of a pond nearby done the next day. I was working on creating a pattern of light and dark, and this little scene was a good opportunity to do that. Enjoy!