Low On Steam

The Quick Draw (two-hour timed painting competition) for Mountain Maryland got off to a bumpy start. It was supposed to be the first day the steam locomotive was running for the season from Cumberland to Frostburg. I got set up in anticipation of the spot it was going to “land.”

The train pulled by the 1309 was anticipated to arrive at 10:30ish (the quick draw started at 10 so I knew I was losing some time automatically for choosing this subject.)

At 10:25, I heard the bad news that the locomotive had issues — so wouldn’t be running that day. Uh oh. Then I was looking around for a new subject. Thought about calling the quick draw quits … then another train starts coming down the tracks. So … a subject came to me. Phew!

“Low on Steam” 24” x 12” even found a new home. All’s well that ends well?  My piece “Night Spires” also found a new home at Friday’s reveal. Mountain Maryland Plein Air 2023 is a wrap! Thank you to the organizers, our special host family, friendly Cumberland-ites and the collectors who came out to support the artists.

You can see a short video or reel with this piece in progress on my Instagram @jillbanks1 or Facebook @JillBanksStudio posts from June 18, 2023.