Packing for a tour to a large garden in Kauai. Do I take the paints? Tough question. Weighed the pros and cons….and took them. The bus drove deep into the gardens and dropped us off. The four of us were alone in the lush jungle. The bus would return in two hours. We were told about the plants that you shouldn’t touch. There were also poisonous trees but those wouldn’t be on this path. Stay on the path. It would lead us up and down and all around the gardens. It was a paradise with sights and smells that filled the air.
I had packe
d a very compact watercolor box and paper. I was very glad to have them when I spotted the scene up the stairs. I sat on the ledge and was able to get comfortable enough to work. My friends continued on the journey. I could hear them laughing and talking but they vanished around the corner before my paint was even wet. There was only one path so I didn’t worry about finding them later.
My friend Pat, spotted me from down the trail and took this photo of me painting in the jungle. You might be able to find me hidden in the middle of the photo above.
On the right is the painting of the view up the stairs. It’s hard to believe that I was looking at the view shown in this painting when the above picture was taken. One of the wonderful consequences of painting a scene is I can look at the painting later and remember what it smelled, sounded and felt like when I was there. Winding paths invite you to explore and make you imagine what might be around the corner. Golden sunlight holds the promise of good things.
When you question whether or not to bring the paints, bring them! Be ready to paint.
