"Quick Draw, Paint the Lakes 2013" ©

Here is my "Quick Draw" Painting from last weekend at the Paint the Lake 2013, plein air competition. During the quick draw the artists had 2 hours to complete their painting and turn it in.  I had picked this spot to paint out when I visited Lake Arrowhead with my Mom a few weeks before the actual event.  She can paint anything and loved the little boats and red roofed buildings, complete with a clock tower.  If she had painted in the event that would have been her subject which she could paint behind her back.  On the other hand, I am a landscape painter and am much more comfortable with nature.  So I chose the scene you see below.  In the early morning the light catches the little strip of sand brilliantly and that was my focus.  It worked!  The judge Helga Batman-Koplin awarded my painting First Place and Best Use of Color.