A Quiet Place

We have been here before but there is much to see and paint. This is the Old Sacramento Cemetery. The sun is out and the shadows abound. The challenge is in getting the lots correct in perspective. The place is well maintained and it seems that every variety of plant and tree that can be grown in Sacramento is here. Some of the gravestone inscriptions are very humorous.

Trash Pickup Day

What is more urban than alleys and trash containers?  We set out to paint alleys Sacramento on Wednesday.  It was adventurous as we disturbed some homeless late sleepers as well as found a new litter of pups.  The trees now have color and provide a nice frame to our scenes.  Many of the trash barrels were lined up in the alley.  There were long shadows from sunlight this morning.  I kept debating whether to place figures in the scene but then decided that the trash containers told a good story.

Space for Rent

Can you imagine living behind a giant billboard?  The Urban Landscape Artists painted this morning in Oak Park.  This neighborhood was one of the finest in Sacramento but fell on hard times.  The homes are lovely and many have been repaired.  Most are two story houses.  Because of flooding, the living space was on the second level.  Business sites are many along Broadway, but there are plenty of vacancies and closed down buildings.  There has been a huge effort to resuscitate this section of Sacramento. 

I chose this corner for my painting because of the vacant billboard space for rent.  It is symptomatic of the area.  I like the cast shadow of the billboard on the side of the house.  The chain link fence is all too common along Broadway and may indicate removed structures.  I was particularly fascinated by the cast shadows from the morning sun.  I took a photo of the site for comparison. 

A SUNNY MORNING ON 33RD STREET

A sunny day for painting and a lot of comments.  The urban landscape group set up on 33rd St. next to a popular breakfast spot.  Those who dined indoors, came out right where we were painting.  Everyone was pleased with breakfast and very chatty about painting.  The usual 'I can't draw a straight line' and 'do you sell your paintings' comments were there along with my favorite, 'how long does it take you to do a painting'.  My answer is 45 years.

I chose the site because of the warm color notes and cast shadows.  The power lines and poles clinched the deal.  We did worry about the one hour parking but received a gift.  The meter maid came around the corner and the little truck went up in smoke.  Following a major kerfuffle, the tow truck came and hauled it away- unlimited parking for the rest of the day.

The Old and New

Painted this morning in Old Sacramento with its buildings from gold rush days. Wooden walkways with brick buildings and wide porches. It is full of things to paint. Here, looking down J Street over the freeway, you can see the newer downtown business section and hotel done in oriental architecture. It is a contrast like I remember in Singapore.
There were about a dozen painters out this morning and towards noontime there were a lot of tourists.

Last of Long Line

As a kid I always watched the train go by and waited for the caboose. It was the end and looked so cool. Most trains today have engines at both ends. This caboose is in Old Town in Sacramento and kids have birthday parties there. I was painting in Old Town and quickly sketched and painted the scene as the caboose was being decorated with crepe streamers and signs for a party. A truck parked right in front so I really worked from my sketch. It was a beautiful spring morning.

Oak Park; a Renassaince

It was cloudy and misting heavily when I left Davis to paint in the Capitol Plein Air Festival. We went to the 'hood'. For 30 years I drove thru Oak Park on my way to work. It was full of drug dealers, crack houses and men gathered on the street looking for work. They were in old couches and chairs along the side walks. A friend owned a property and was afraid to collect overdue rent. Not any longer, the 'hood' has a new look with proud ownership and cared for homes. This painting is the Oak Park Preschool which is getting a face-lift. Workers were buzzing around, checking out my painting and letting me in on what was going to happen to the building. The sun eventually came out and there were some shadows to paint. It actually got quite hot as I finished up.

The Joint on 12th Street

This is the week of the Sacramento Plein Air painting. It runs from Sunday to Friday. Who would have thunk that a typhoon would blow in and wash out painting on Tuesday, Wednesday and part of Thursday. Pretty hard to paint watercolors when it is raining. I painted this Joint on Sunday morning with a bright sun shining. Got lots of attention as I seemed to be on the path of all the homeless who were walking back into town. I did have to wind it up since I had another commitment in the afternoon. It was the shadows that caught my eye.