SPREAD JOY. Earlier this month on a fam beach day, I brought my paints along for some plein air color studies. This is an exercise where I paint super loose- the objective is to document hues since sometimes the color in a photograph can differ from on-site and I keep these in my studio for reference. Usually reserved for my sketch book, I had heavyweight paper with me on this day.
My eye caught a woman sitting in the distance. The light and shadows of her chair and pages of her book screamed, “paint me!” The orange of her chair and suit complimented the color of the water so well, I was so drawn to paint her in a loose style with a limited palette. It was SUPER windy, so like any plein air painting experience- It’s not only a painting but also an experience. 🙃
Not long after finishing, I decided to run over and catch her before she took off to gift her the piece of art. Turns out, she is expecting soon, and the beach is her happy place. So now she has an original piece of art that captures her and her little one that she can cherish forever.
Her and her husband are insanely sweet and I am so thankful the universe conspired to have our paths cross.
I wanted to share this story as a reminder to spread a little joy today. 🤍 #ryanbeckart