It’s Mercer Island in Lake Washington just outside of Seattle: population 22,000, among whom is an 91-year-old artist named Carmen Sherbeck. I discovered her on 9/30/2011 at Powhatan County’s McSweeney Farm B&B where colleagues and I dined on a deeeelish brunch that we had won.

A large watercolor painting hung in the room where we ate, and it was definitely my cup of tea. I do watercolors myself, and it seemed to me that this artist was challenged by one of the same demons that I face when attempting a new painting.

Proprietor Wendy McSweeney told me she had purchased the painting at a fundraising auction in western Virginia. Google told me more. Sherbeck was born an artist, has traveled and created art worldwide, and lived in Virginia for 47 years. One of her quotes on the web referenced the demon: “In two hours you’re tired mentally. Every stroke you make is a decision.” I don’t discuss this much with others, but when I do a watercolor painting, it’s very mentally taxing and most of the time I feel like I’m going down the wrong paths with my strokes and colors. Sherbeck’s quote continues, “I guess it’s just impatience to get it done and see what happens,” and I agree.

The painting at McSweeney Farm B&B has modest subject matter: just a house in a rural setting. But the brushwork and palette are just the types that I like most. I recommend McSweeney Farm B&B – for the food, the hospitality, and of course for this introduction to Carmen Sherbeck.