My New Umbrella

For many years I’ve attached an old beach umbrella to my easel when I needed to shade my work on bright summer days. Last year this wimpy blue and white umbrella finally gave out. So this Spring, before heading over to eastern Washington, where the sun actually shines, I decided to purchase a real artist’s umbrella. My new umbrella is sturdy with multiple locations on the clamp to attach the handle which bends in almost any direction. It’s vented to enable the wind to blow through and neutrally colored to create shade without influencing color perception.
I inaugurated it the very first morning at Dry Falls when I chose a subject that had me standing in full sun. The umbrella went up easily and I was delighted with the large area of shade it created. Part way through the painting I decided to walk over and chat a bit with a friend who was painting nearby. Sturdy, vented umbrellas are truly wonderful, but not infallible. A sudden crash interrupted our conversation. A gust had caught it, picked everything up and dumped the entire set up on the ground. The painting was lying face down in the gravel with mineral spirits and paint from the palette splashed on top of it. My brand new umbrella was crumpled on the ground, twisted and stained with paint. Carefully I picked it all up, straightened out the umbrella as best I could and started over with the painting.
It’s a tribute to the sturdy construction of the umbrella that it recovered so well. I had occasion to use it again a few days ago. Being at the Oregon Coast for only a few days, I had to paint in the rain if I was going to accomplish anything. During one particularly wet afternoon, I pulled out my used umbrella and attached it to the easel sideways to shield my palette and painting. This completely protected my work from the rain driving in from the ocean to my left. I wasn’t sure if the umbrella was made of water repellant fabric but happily discovered that it is. I painted for nearly an hour and a half in the rain. I was soaked but my painting and palette stayed dry. I think this umbrella and I have a future together.