Art Supplies, Country Music, and a Midnight Walk Through the Woods

Art Supplies, Country Music, and a Midnight Walk Through the Woods

Sometimes, the best stories don’t come with a plan—they unfold while you’re just trying to make space in your living room.

It all started when I picked up what may be the biggest art haul of my life—canvases, vintage brushes, paints, and over 300 art books from a 93-year-old artist’s home studio. The supplies filled nearly every inch of our house. I started sorting them into stacks: acrylics, oils, florals, mixed media… slowly trying to create order out of the chaos.

But before I could finish, we packed up the camper for a weekend away. We stayed on a peaceful five-acre horse farm just a couple of miles from the Florida Horse Park, where the Rock the Country music festival was happening. It was supposed to be a little reset—a quick escape from the clutter and the to-do lists.

And it was… until we got stranded.

After a full day of music, dust, and dancing, we realized we couldn’t get an Uber back to the farm. No signal. No ride. So Bob and I ended up walking 1.9 miles back—just the two of us under a moonlit sky on a winding country road. It sounds romantic (and it could’ve been if Bob weren’t mumbling the whole way. He was so mad.), but it’s also the kind of moment that sticks with you. We laugh about it now.

When we got home, I returned to the art supplies with a different kind of energy. I found myself slowing down, flipping through blank sketchbooks, admiring well-worn brushes, and imagining the life of the artist who once held them. One of the most moving parts was watching my granddaughter Skylar pick up a book and dive right in—no hesitation, just curiosity. It made me think: this haul isn’t just for me. It’s for the next generation of artists too.

I ended the week by painting on three of the canvases I found. I didn’t film the process but I did create a couple shorts

Watch the shorts here

(Short #1 - (117) Works in progress but I couldn’t wait to share! #art #mixedmedia #portrait - YouTube )

( Short #2- Today’s mission…complete these girls and get new ones started. #wip #portrait #pink )

—I just needed a quiet moment to create alone, surrounded by this legacy of materials and inspiration. A few of the canvases had paintings on them already, and I’m still deciding whether to gesso over them or preserve part of what’s already there. Maybe it’s not just a canvas… maybe it’s a collaboration.

Let me know what you think.

Watch the full story unfold in this week’s video:
I share everything—from the camping trip and concert, to the haul, the organizing, and the painting. It’s part vlog, part storytime, and full of creative life.

Watch the video on YouTube → (Art supplies, country music, and getting stranded in the woods…how could that not turn into a story?)