I’ve had this idea for a long time and finally got it set up. I used cold press D’Arches 40 lb. watercolor paper and made a somewhat haphazard grid using masking tape.

To make it easy to transport, I got a little palette and squirted in my finest watercolors. I chose three small Winsor & Newton watercolor brushes; added a sour cream container for water and a few paper towels to the kit.

Maybe the hardest thing to do in painting is to be told, “Paint whatever you’d like.” That tiny square of white staring at you. But people rally and then they pick up the brush, dab it in the color and grow very, very quiet as they immerse themselves in their tiny masterpiece. Maybe the second hardest thing is the sudden surprise of the request, so I’ve been giving people a little head’s up when time permits.

I give a quick tutorial before they begin on how to achieve crisp lines and blurred.

Kids are the easiest. They just know they are good at painting and hunker down to the task without hesitation. Aoife carefully chose a select three colors and as she painted told me, “I want to leave some of the white paper showing.” And she did.

August simply knew when he was done and stopped. Any painter will tell you it’s hard to know when to quit.

Honeysuckle Band played at a venue near us and stayed with us overnight. They too agreed to add to my collage!

One woman who added to the collage, counted all the squares and wondered if I had enough friends to fill all of them.