Taking Off For Springmaid

Sunday, March 2, 2008

After sitting in a line of small planes on the runway at LaGuardia, we begin to slowly taxi to our spot at the front, in position for take off. There is a sound that fills the cabin, sort of like the rhythmic “wheh, wha” of a saw on a tree, I look around. No neighbors are very close as I’ve been able to snag a row to myself, but no one else is looking dismayed or even conscious of what I’m hearing. I then overhear the woman behind me say that she heard the same sound on her last Spirit flight. I am slightly reassured seeing her as proof that it did not cause disaster on that flight. However, I write about the sound and my anxiety in my notebook, just in case this could be the end, there might be some evidence of what happened. It’s not like me to be a nervous traveler but here I was, jetting off alone, to two weeks of painting workshops in Myrtle Beach.

I’ve been to Springmaid before and I’m looking forward to renewing acquaintances and deepening friendships. These workshops are unique because they run six studios simultaneously. Close to 200 artists, who lead solitary work lives, come together for the networking, camaraderie and collegial atmosphere that exist hardly anywhere else. Being an artist is lonely work and working with others is almost as strong a draw as what I can learn,

4:30 it’s off to the studio to hear an introduction from my instructor, John Salminen. Sporting a silver beard and bright yellow windbreaker, the Minnesotan explains his approach as focused on design, based on the teaching of Edgar Whitney. I’m excited about his design approach to abstraction—it is just what I came here for! Unfortunately, he wants us all to work in watercolor on paper. We’ve reached a compromise: I will work on two pieces, one watercolor on paper, and the other acrylic on canvas. We’ll see how this works out. (picture at right - John Salminen, instructor, giving introduction talk to class.)