November 6-7, 2021 It was starting to sink in that I’m now committed to 100 days painting outside. The weather was turning colder, but I still wanted to paint. On November 6, I stood on my patio and painted the scene I often look at from my living room. There was just one tree with leaves still left, and it glowed golden and orange in the fall sun. The wind picked up, and several times the canvas flew towards me, flat onto the front of my black down jacket. I love my jacket,

October 30, 2021 Seeing the late afternoon sun shining gave me weather anxiety - I felt that I must take this chance to be out. Sunlight is something I don’t take for granted in Sweden, and having a warm late fall felt like a bonus. Realizing that this “little painting project” was actually turning into something also made me want to capture any days with decent weather. I packed my backpack, including my new portable easel, and headed back out. (For me, the joy of being in m

October 28, 2021 Do you feel like you don't have time to do the creative projects you want? Me too!! Today was a day when I had so much to read and prepare for teaching, plus regular life things like food prep, etc. that needed to get done. But something had gotten started in me those two days of painting outside in Österlen. Back in Lund, I looked out at the sunny day, and thought, I need to get to the sunflowers before they wilt! So, with help from my partner, I packed up m

October 24, 2021 I returned the day after to the same nature reserve. There is a military training area which was closed the day before due to shooting exercises(!) But this day there were no exercises and it was open to the public. The beach is gorgeous and there are rolling hills that make you feel like you are in a Lord of the Rings film. I set up my easel again, feeling a little more confident than the day before. Still, the canvas would fly off a few times. I guess that

October 23, 2021 Recently I felt called to paint outside. I’ve never done that before. It was a fall afternoon, and I brought my easel and paints to a nature reserve in Österlen, an area in the south of Sweden known for its beautiful light and coastlines. Dealing with the elements of the wind and a wobbly easel, I wondered if I would paint at all. I did my best to have low expectations for the experience, and see it as an experiment. But the light was so beautiful, I just wan