Artists stand behind easels before the sea,
subject sits beneath natural canopy.
Sun reflects off sand,
reveals delicate hollow at nape of neck.
Streaming light illuminates hair by strands
as shadows gleam, challenge brushes
to blend raw umber, titanium white,
and yellow ochre oils.

Written for dVerse where today De is tending bar, asking us to write a quadrille (poem of 44 words; no more, no less) relating to or using the word  “shadow.” Last week in Provincetown, I volunteered to sit for a portrait session on the beach. Little did I know these were students of Cedric Egeli, one of America’s foremost portrait artists. The second photo shows him critiquing his students. Plein air refers to painting out doors.