Cold, (I mean, frigid...brrrr). What was I thinking! Scheduling an outdoor painting workshop on frosty mornings. Not only were the poor students terrified (always are when painting loose horses from life), but they couldn't concentrate with the cold. Some just sat in my car and didn't bother. (You have to know, this was extremely difficult for me and my "need to please" also.) Anyhoo.... They had to push past their fears. The day we painted this little fellow was warmer. By now, I had given them so many exercises about how to get, not just a "good picture", but the gesture of the moment. It's always astonishing to me how afraid we are to explore and just be in the moment. We're so desperate to create an impressive image, yet Art is not "how the thing looked" as much as "How I felt when I was here... In this beautiful place with this magic little horse from Norway". We can get photos of the Fjord, it's YOU that we may never see again. It's YOU that we want to see all over the canvas... terrified or not! This was done on "Yes" canvas taped to a board, with oils. Boy, does that stuff dry fast outside!!! Faster than acrylic... I really mean it!