BOBBI HEATH PAINTINGS
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Available Paintings
    • Selected Favorites
    • Note Cards
    • How to Buy a Painting
    • Your Own Custom Painting
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Classes
    • Classes Login
    • Values Download
    • Classes and Workshops
    • What's It Like to Study With Bobbi
    • Materials Lists
  • Resources
    • Beginning Painting Tips
    • Managing Multiple Projects
    • Framing
    • Your First Plein Air
    • Notes - Confident Drawing
    • Videos
  • About Bobbi
  • Contact

Discovering What Means the Most

12/31/2020

5 Comments

 
Picture
Rafting Up   20"x30" oil on canvas (Vinalhaven, Maine)
2020. In years to come we won’t want to remember it. There was deprivation, sickness and hunger, and for some, loss of loved ones or dear friends. There was the constant worry about what any cough, ache, pain, or runny nose might mean…  And there were heroic deeds and long hours put in by those trying to keep us all healthy and safe.

But for many of us, it was a mostly a matter of changing the way we do things, to mostly less convenient ways of doing them with less satisfying results. Not a lot of fun.

Picture
Mill Pond  16"x16 oil on canvas (Massachusetts)
I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned this year. About what is most important to me and what I missed the most. Though I already knew it, the need to be in the natural world came front and center. If I hadn’t been able to walk the trails of Westford, MA, especially those at East Boston Camps, with a stream, lakes, ups and downs, deciduous and pine forest, I don’t know what I would have done. In the summer, my daily walk to the town landing in Yarmouth, ME was just as good.

If I hadn’t learned to teach painting via Zoom, I would have lost all interaction with painting friends at the easel. That was a very special time for me each week. It was a time without pandemic worries, of true friendship and of helping those friends learn something new. It made me happy.

Picture
Entrance to Seal Bay  5"x7" oil, applied with knife (Vinalhaven, Maine)
We still got to do our boat trip down east this year, but it was different.  We had a little take-out instead of visiting our favorite harbor restaurants, and we stayed away from the island villages, figuring they didn’t need people visiting from away during the pandemic. But overall it was still a special treat, spending time in beautiful harbors, occasionally with friend’s boats nearby.

I think what I missed most was having friends over for dinner. That was less of a problem in the summer once our boat was in the water, because we could still social distance in the cockpit with two guests. Those lunches and dinners on the water were treasured.

Picture
Delivering the Catch  9"x12" oil on canvas board (Stonington, Maine)
And of course, I missed travel. As recently retired people, that’s how we want to spend a lot of our time. I made three trips in January and February, an awesome start to a travel year. And also the end of the travel year… My sisters and I made our annual visit to Florida and I had the pleasure of teaching a workshop in Tarpon Springs. My husband and I visited friends in Scottsdale and spent ten days on the south coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which was a total treat. We were even able to have lunch outside in New Bedford on our last visit in October. But our trip to France for Christmas was canceled. Typical 2020.

I’d love to hear about what you learned and missed in 2020. Let me know in the comments.

Here’s to 2021!
5 Comments
Sarah Soule
12/31/2020 09:34:55 am

Thanks for this!

Reply
Bobbi link
12/31/2020 12:48:40 pm

Hi Sarah, it's so nice to hear from you. I hope you and your family have a fabulous 2021! - Bobbi

Reply
Marina Bosetti link
12/31/2020 10:02:32 am

I doubt I will forget this year, but I do know what I'll remember; our artist group. How we intentionally let things get lousy goosy with the structure as we adjusted to the pandemic. Then realized that structure was the way through to, adjusting to a new way of life. I'm grateful for you, Bobbi, your good humor and smart comments are something I look forward to each week.

Reply
Bobbi link
12/31/2020 12:45:10 pm

I so agree, Marina, we've got a great group! Everyone is really helpful, but also willing to be straight about what needs to be done. Your input has been very useful to me. See you next week! - Bobbi

Reply
The T Stands Alone link
7/19/2023 09:57:12 pm

Great blog yoou have

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Bobbi - Painter. Sketcher. Teacher. Boat and Dog Lover.

    2009-2019 blogposts are located HERE

    Archives

    March 2025
    October 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    August 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2017
    January 2017

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Shop
    • Available Paintings
    • Selected Favorites
    • Note Cards
    • How to Buy a Painting
    • Your Own Custom Painting
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Classes
    • Classes Login
    • Values Download
    • Classes and Workshops
    • What's It Like to Study With Bobbi
    • Materials Lists
  • Resources
    • Beginning Painting Tips
    • Managing Multiple Projects
    • Framing
    • Your First Plein Air
    • Notes - Confident Drawing
    • Videos
  • About Bobbi
  • Contact