Storm Over the Rail Trail

Just finished this painting today. The process was interesting. First, fortified myself with coffee and Bach remedy. Put on a playlist of songs I call "painting." It starts with "Corinna" by Taj Mahal. Then got out the paint, organized the colors I needed, picked a brush, and started with the sky. Did the sky while the tape was breaking into Stevie Wonder's "Blame it on the Sun." Finished the sky on "Sister Morphine" by the Rolling Stones.

Remembered Tsering telling me always to start with the dark colors. Chose a brush for the pathway, and stopped to munch on some unsalted cashews. Then started on all the brown, sketched in around the houses, put in all the grasses with Tom Wait's "Waltzing Mathilda," added the trees and branches to "Flying Red Horse" by John Gorka. Took a break and played a game on my computer. Went back and added the tall tree and the darker colors, more branches, and grasses. A good, athletic song by Eric Bibb - "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down."

Red flowers. Took another break to ease my back. "Will My Mother Know Me There?" by Ricky Skaggs was playing as I put in the white of the houses and roofs, and finally the snow. Added more tendrils of grass and branches. Added the vermilion part of the flowers. The last song had long since ended - "The Nearness of You" by Nora Jones. Remembered my friend Debbie in Boston, who said, "Music will never let you down."