Triumph at Rocky Point, Big Sur

by Karin H. Leonard
(Freedom, California)

Plein-Air painting builds character, no doubt. But sometimes it takes you to the very brink of what you think is possible.
A group of us had a great painters' retreat near Monastery Beach in Carmel, CA. We ventured out to Rocky Point on the Big Sur Coast for what we thought would be a blissful morning. As we situated our easels, horrendous winds came up. If you have ever been to this area, you know how sudden and intense these gusts can be!
Holding on to my easel, my hat and painting at the same time, I was ready to quit from the moment I started. Rescuing my hat from poison oak countless times, my easel finally fell over. Close to tears I told myself "this builds character!" and finished my painting in my lap, sitting on the ground.
If it wasn't for the other 7 painters courageously hanging in there, I would have given up. However, three hours later, as we warmed up with lunch at the restaurant, we were already laughing about the experience. And in the end, out of all the paintings I did on the trip, this was my favorite!