It’s a rare day when I skip a thumbnail sketch—but it happens. And when do I break my own rule? When I have only 15 minutes to paint!

This happened on a recent short trip to Grand Cayman where my sister and I were helping my mum settle into her southern abode for a couple of months. Our days were jam-packed with errands and tasks, but the urge to paint was strong. I had my pastels with me, and I was determined to use them at least once.

Then, a window of time opened. A whole 15 minutes!

At any other time, I might have let the opportunity pass, but not this time.

I was perched on the wall by the sea. The colours were vibrant and called out to be captured. So, out came the pastels. Paper? On the board. Scene? Chosen. And then I put pastel to paper.

Although I skipped my usual thumbnail, I still took a few moments to squint and assess the main value areas. I now had a mental plan of the distribution of the few darks and the light and middle values. This quick mental map helped me dive in with little hesitation.

And here’s the thing: I wasn’t trying to replicate the scene. I wanted to capture my feelings about what was happening around me – the scene, the colours, the warm breeze, the salty air. 

I let go of any expectations and just painted, reacting in the moment. No judgment. No overthinking. Just painting.

So here’s what happened!

First, this was my view…
(Keep in mind that photos rarely do justice to what you’re seeing and experiencing.) 

And, for once, NO thumbnail. Crazy huh?! But hey, 15 minutes to paint = get moving! (Mind you, I made time for a thumbnail in Mexico when I had a whole 20 minutes. Hmmmm! 🤔)

I taped my UART paper to the board and got cracking!

A few quick charcoal marks, then straight into my set of Unison Colour pastels. No hesitation.

And then, I just went for it!! I kept my focus on responding to the scene rather than trying to capture an accurate representation of it. 

What was also different from my usual way of working is that for lighter luggage, I’d decided to leave my easel at home. So I was working flat rather than vertical. The nice thing about working outside is that it’s easy to smack the board to get rid of all the accumulating dust!

And just like that… time was up!

And the cherry on top? My sister took one look and said, “I love it!” And you know what? Me too. But more than that, I was just soooo thrilled to have put pastel to paper AND without judgment!!

Moral of the story?

With just 15 minutes to paint, you can make something happen.
No more excuses! Just DO it!!

And even though I didn’t do a thumbnail, let’s see what it looks like in black and white to see the distribution of three main value areas.

Your turn!
Have you ever squeezed in a quick plein air session and been amazed at what you could do? Or do you tell yourself you don’t have enough time? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time,

~ Gail