Blacksmith Bay, Key Largo, FL

This was the second painting of the day - I felt exhausted so I encouraged myself to "just set up and do what I could". Then the sky transformed into the most amazing afterglow I had ever seen. This was only day 2 of a 5-day painting excursion in Key Largo, Florida. I know my palette so well I don't even need to see it. To my surprise, I didn't realize I painted the afterglow into pitch darkness. My phone battery had died in then meantime and I couldn't see a thing. Ahead of my easel there was a 5- Foot drop into the bay so I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do when I heard voices approaching from a distance. Thankfully, the Host had come out to find me with a couple guests in tow. They used their phones to light the area and help me pack and haul the gear and painting back to the yacht where I was staying anchored in a canal about 400 feet away.