Monteriggione, early evening

Oil on linen
30x40 cm (appx. 1.0 by 1.3 feet)

For me, two paintings a day are my limit. It makes for a really long day. But today was awesome, lots of fun, way out in a field listening to cicadas and watching the light change. Plus, I'm not really doing anything else here, so why not?

Plein air (outdoor) painting is a real challenge, but I'm learning the ropes. Find as much shade as possible, find a breezy, pleasant location, avoid anthills, bring insect repellent, #40 sunscreen, a hat, lots and lots of water, and go commando in hot weather. Whoa, what's that you ask? Why the ants?

I hate ants, as a child I often explored the woods of Northern Minnesota on my own. Deep in the woods by a quarry, my feet starting sinking into exceptionally soft soil. I kept walking, and I kept sinking deeper and deeper. Finally, I sunk down to about my mid calf, and looked down to see a swarm of ants on my legs and torso. That's when they started to bite. I hate ants. That ant colony was the size of New Jersey. Ants suck.