10 thoughts on painting with Leslie on New Year’s Eve at Garfield Park Conservatory, 2019

An oasis.
The drag of the brush in the pigment.
The contrast of the cold, ice, and snow, and the warmth, humidity, and smell of plants.
The difficulty of choosing a place and perspective to paint.
Curious children and adults. Adults who want to reminisce with me. Me ignoring the adults and talking to the children.
The pleasure of working with large pans of intense, pure color, jade green and red in particular.
Breathing in oxygen-rich, warm, humid air.
Enjoying Leslie’s hospitality of providing the materials, furniture, and time.
Reconnecting in conversation as we work together.
Trying and failing to capture the intensity of the magenta against green, and the Fibonacci sequence of the palm tree trunk.