# 20 - Thai Again

January 2014 Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

Thai Again 
5x7" Acrylic

I will be playing catchup for the 30 in 30 challenge.  You haven't seen me posting for the past week because we were celebrating our anniversary on a 7-day cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas.  I knew I was going away for a week in January when the challenge started and almost used it as an excuse to bow out this year.  Then I decided to heed Leslie's comments that this challenge was about painting and not about numbers.  Feeling a bit guilty about leaving in the middle of the 30/30, I decided I'd paint on the cruise.  I've never watercolored so I lugged acrylic paints along knowing oils and water (cruises) don't mix.  Did I mention I have the large tubes of acrylic paint (i.e. they weigh a lot) because I never take them out of the studio.  Still, it all seemed like a good idea until I actually tried painting onboard.  My intensions were good, but here are my reasons I 'finished' two paintings instead of seven.   (Thai Again is one of those two) 

1. I didn't take into consideration two of the 7 days are packing/unpacking plus all the time it takes to board, disembark and drive to and from. 
2. Lights on ships are dim.  Maybe it's not a bad thing you can't see what you are painting, but not good when trying to see the still life. Those paintings were pitiful!
3. I never considered taking photographs with me and was lucky to find two old ones tucked in my sketchbook because that's what I ended up painting.
4. It is very hard to paint when a ship is rocking, but it will loosen you up.  
5. If you are leaving from Baltimore in January it is too cold and windy to paint out on the deck for better light...and once you are in warm weather painting isn't the first thing you want to do! :-)

It is nice to be home but I'm already missing the warm weather and someone else doing all the cooking.