"Welch Rd. - Near Empire, MI" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas 8x10" -- Margie Guyot

This is the second painting I'd done this morning. My friend Karen and I were participating in the Glen Arbor Art Association's first annual Paint-Out. Time was of the essence: the goal was to paint a maximum of 3 good paintings between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. Frame them and have them back at the gallery by 4:30 PM. So there was not a lot of time for lollygagging.

This area is in the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan. I really love it here. Lush, rolling hillsides, small farms and orchards, lakes and it's surrounded by Lake Michigan. Everywhere you look, there's a painting.

We decided to stop at the top of this hill and paint the long view. It's a popular road for bicyclists, as many cycled by us as we painted. Karen and I were grateful to find a shady spot to paint in, as the temperature rose to nearly 90 again.