Japanese beetles, Ticks, Mosquitos. Oh my.

I seldom venture out more than 500 feet from my studio, and my first painting for today was no exception. I did the first painting in an open field near Red Clay Creek. Kennett Square’s firehouse is only a few hundred feet from where I setup to paint. I came close to giving up this spot because Japanese beetles were relentlessly dive bombing me. They seemed to enjoy crashing into my straw hat. Bop, bop, bop! It was nearly maddening, but eventually I managed to ignore them when I felt that I was in no danger of being bitten by them. Yet my imagination still ran amok now and then because I feared one would take liberty and crawl into my ear to lay her eggs.

In Between Trees

Oil on cotton over panel, 6 by 8 inches, 2015.

I finished my first painting, and I decided to go a bit farther out towards Anson B. Nixon Park. First, a break at one of my favourite places, Philter Coffee. I needed sustenance and rehydration before I wander into the park. This was the first time I have ventured out this far since moving to Kennett Square in 2014, and I was a bit nervous when I reached the edge of the park. Ticks, I thought. I imagined them hiding and waiting to pounce on me when I walk down that path, but only 30 feet into the park I saw the light streaming through the canopy and draping across the trail. Ooo, so pretty. I committed the scenery to memory and I worked quickly before it was gone. Alas, as it turned out, ticks were the least of my problems because mosquitoes were feasting on me while I was painting. I quickened pace and escaped. Next time, I shall be drenched in repellent.

The Path

Oil on cotton over panel, 8 by 6 inches, 2015.