A Porch at Edison Estates in Ft. Myers, Fl.

On Wed. January 15, our Plein Air group went to The Edison estates in Ft. Myers. to paint. Special permission had been obtained, so we were not required to pay admission and we all wore tags that said "Art in the Garden". The group was about 18, since this is a popular place to paint, right on the Calusahatchee River. We were all looking forward to wonderful shadows and values on the buildings and big porches, BUT, the sun did not come out. It was cloudy and a strong north wind was blowing. The temperature hovered in the sixties, and I shivered as I painted. I found a sheltered spot on a wonderful wide veranda and started. It was then that a guide came and asked me to move off the verandah as my oil paints might stain the decking. It was supposed to be all the original wood, from the time that Edison himself lived there. I moved off the porch into the wind and proceeded with the work. By 11:30 I was very cold even with long pants, socks and shoes and a fleece jacket. Thank goodness I was done, so I moved to the Gift Shop, where we were eating lunch and holding the critique. They had very tasty coffee, which warmed me up. Here is the finished oil painting on an 11x14 board.