Friday evening, we met at Bonita Cove in San Diego for a cookout and bonfire. My husband and I were the first to arrive; as retirees, it was our job to occupy one of the fire rings while the workers finished up their day.

It was great to be early because I was able to do two gesture sketches of people playing along the edge of the cold water. The goal of gesture painting is to get a quick story down on paper in twenty minutes or so. The exuberance of the moment often shows as you let your intuition overrule considerations such as composition, proportion, sun angle, and color harmony. The following painting was my favorite of the two.

Our niece arrived next, and I started a third sketch of her while we sat and chatted. But I put the sketch away for later as the others joined us and the appetizers appeared.

I love gesture painting but it takes discipline! You have to keep your critical voice at bay as you sprint toward a finish. Once I was home my analytic voice began to make its presence known, and I finished the sketch of our niece by switching back to my more analytic style. I think you can see the difference between the first and last sketches; both styles are very much mine although they differ in excitement and vitality.

I hope to do more gesture painting throughout the summer because the quick pace of artistic decision-making results in a visible confidence that carries over into all my sketching.