Balloon Lift Off and Speed Painting

This weekend is Angel Fire 6th Annual SummerFest and Balloon Rally.  We walked over to the Sunset Grill on Friday for dinner.  The Jimmy Stadler band was performing at the Mountain Pavilion at the resort. We didn't listen long and went and sat inside at the restaurant.  The deck was full with folks eating and listening to the music.  The resort was giving free BBQ as well for their 25th anniversary.

Jimmy Stadler Band

The sunset from the Sunset Grill was outstanding.

Friday morning I woke up with a whooshing sound.  At first I thought someone was power washing something, then I peeked out and saw the balloon in the lot next to the condos being filled.

The balloons were tethered and some were providing rides up and back down on the tethers.

This one was right out our walkway.  Three were in walking distance.

Saturday morning Joan Bohls and I went to the lift offs of the balloons down at the soccer fields.  We were trying to sketch/paint them.  I tell you, you have to be very quick and have a plan in mind.

As the first balloon was being filled, I sketched with some Sharpie markers.  By the time I was doing this, the balloon was almost in the air!  So I switched to my pastels and was more successful as I can make larger strokes.

This is on Canson paper, I knew I could never fill the tooth on sanded paper.  We painted for about half an hour or less and by the time I had this much done they were all in the air.  They are not painted in the order they filled.  The one on the left was the first and long gone by the time the others were up.  The far right one was way off to the left as that is the direction they traveled, but I wanted to get it in, so.....  Also the others went up in different time line than my showing them.  I think the silver one in the middle was the second one up.  At any rate it was a great challenge just to get some different colors and start of the lift off.  You will have to try it sometime.  It was a little like doing gesture drawing at a "from life" drawing class with models.  It was fun and I thank Joan for the idea.

Joan working in oils on a canvas.

Me with the pastels.

Our fleeting models.

One was coming down about a mile away as we were driving back into Angel Fire, probably near the Post Office.

This morning Gene saw 7 balloons up in about the same area when he went to get his paper and the Potcheen  is performing at the Mountain Pavilion as we speak.  The booths are open there as well.

Hope you had a great weekend, this one "flew" by.