We gathered at Fletchers Boat House on a sunny but cold January 27, 2008. Some artists painted scenes along the river where they were subjected to a cold breeze that at times made it somewhat less than comfortable. Others painted along or closer to the canal where they were somewhat protected from the breeze and thought the day was a bit warm. The river people in particular were almost unrecognizable - buried under multiple layers of clothes or zipped up into padded bags with arms and legs. You had to get close to people and peer past the upturned collars, scarfs, hoods and/or pulled-down hats to see their face.

However, despite the cold it was a productive day for some. Nancy Tankersley did 3 paintings, one by the river, then two up near the canal; Dick Whiteley did one painting by the River and the second up by the Canal. There seemed to be a pattern ? freeze by the river for the first painting and then paint the second in relative comfort. Only hardy guest Tim Bell stayed near the river for his two paintings.

We had a lively critique, helped by a bag of charcoal, a kettle of hot water, some tea and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was by far the most popular and helped to take some of the bite out of the day.

Those present were: Barber, Cooper, Dellario, Kushnir, Poly, Schmidt, Tankersley, Whiteley, and guest Tim Bell. Our newest member Meg Walsh joined us for the critique but did not paint.

Hot Chocolate at Critique Time