If it wasn’t pouring rain today (again) and far too chilly for June I would be down at The Commander’s Mansion taking snapshots to post of the gorgeous terrace on which The Saturday Morning Ladies Drawing Club and I sat to draw this past weekend. Photos will follow soon but suffice it to say our last class for the season was held outdoors and we attempted to draw the landscape around us.

The Arts Center where the Club usually meets is on an old army arsenal surrounded by sumptuous park land in the back and a beautifully restored mansion where once The Commander of Something lived. You can now rent it for various functions. The ladies met me at the front door to the arts center and one or two were indisposed to outdoor activity this Saturday morning, one a tad tired, the other with a twisted knee. We explored the idea of cancelling our outdoor mission but all the rooms in the center had been taken over by another group of ladies and their quilts which now hung from every conceivable wall. So there was nothing for it but to carry on—so often the case in art.

I put the top down on my wee Miata. Dear A found it for me when my ancient Mercedes had to be sold for a pittance when it failed a few exhaust tests. I specified that I wanted my next car to be cheap, small, fuel-efficient and not black or grey—’something sporty.’ That last phrase went too far. I said nothing about topless but the chaps do like a cheap vintage red sports car. I’ve grown rather fond of it myself and with the top down the ladies were able to pile their portfolio bags into the passenger seat and I was able to drive our ’supplies’ over to the Mansion while the ladies proceeded on foot unencumbered by luggage which made them very happy.

I’d not scoped things out first. I tend to just wing it on such matters as this (and most others too). What a usprise then when I pulled up in the Miata and was met by a circle of black ladies executing some sort of loud cheering routine by the front door. So early in the morning with the grass still wet with dew. I immediately swung around the back to discover another surprise—a grand field complete with two huge and wondrous grape arbors. (Photos to follow in a day or two.) I decided to walk through one, a magical experience, and when I exited the other side the ladies were just arriving on the edge of the field. I shouted out that we were in England because it so had that feel.

Still, the thorny problem of where to sit now raised its head due to the dewy grass situation and only two portable chairs. With the cheering squad out front, my plan to use the front veranda was now squelched. But, again, note bene, artists do not give up and our party most gallantly walked around the back grounds before discovering, much to our collective delight, a side terrace complete with fabulous scrolled metal chairs and tables. By now the cheering squad had disappeared, presumably inside the Mansion. I collected the bags from the car and our small party began to settle into various chairs. Almost instantly a woman emerged from the Mansion to inquire who we were. We explained that our art class couldn’t meet in the Arts Center as it had been overtaken by quilters and that we’d hoped to sketch some of the surroundings here on the terrace. The woman said the Mansion had been rented for the day at great expense by a local college for a faculty retreat and that she’d have to ask if they minded a small party of artists on the terrace. They didn’t.

I expected the cheering had been inflicted on them by one of those retreat leader types because later in the morning several very nice women emerged onto the terrace for a few moments of fresh air and we thanked them for their kindness in allowing us to sit there and sketch. They said they were happy to have us—they were artists and writers too, teachers at the college. They understood.
So, there we all were. And I suspect that our party had the better deal. As their leader, I did not ask them to cheer but, I have to say, they are a wondrous and cheery group. Even after a bit of a prickly political discussion (we are naturally all very liberal and desperate for change) and the challenge of drawing the bigger landscape, which we all found difficult after so many weeks of focusing on smaller things. Still, our work grows stronger each time we meet. But, really, what I love is the way a bit of fun makes our souls shine brighter.

On that happy note, The Saturday Morning Ladies Drawing Club retires into other summer pursuits until September.