Diary of a Residency, Day 5, Beatty, Nevada

I painted today in Beatty. In town. A bit beyond the intersection of Main Street and Highway 374, painting the Exchange Club/Lou’s Hardware, the town iconic building. The painting stinks.

However, on the positive side, I did meet Paul “The Snake” Richen on his motorized wheelchair. He tried to commission me to paint his portrait, but if I wouldn’t do that, he said he’d be happy with a painting of a coiled rattlesnake.

I told him I’d consider it, but would take his picture.

His picture is considerably better than my painting. Which I am putting up here only as a record that I painted.

This is the Exchange Club/Hardware Store:

And here’s the first draft of the painting:

The Exchange Club, Beatty, Nevada, 12 x 16″, Oil on masonite, 2009 (painted over before we left Nevada in March)

I have excuses — I forgot to take my easel and was painting on my lap; the photo of the painting was taken in the Goldwell House kitchen under bad light; Paul told me a lot of stories that distracted me; and then I met Ann of Ann’s Antiques who showed John (from yesterday) and me the renovated garage down the street; and besides, I hadn’t painted Beatty before so wasn’t really hitting my stride.

Besides all that, this is what I painted. My eyes do not see as the camera does.

And now we must go off to the Sourdough Saloon to meet the other members of the woodcutting workshop and have dinner. Saved by the Saloon.

Reported from Beatty Nevada, Day 5 of the Workspace Residency.

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