Larry's Produce Stand at Halloween

What a fun place to be as families arrive to pick out pumpkins for their Halloween celebration.  Larry's Produce Stand in Vacaville, CA, is always busy, but it goes all out for Halloween.  There are mazes with hay bales, huge pumpkins, old farm equipment, hay rides, drinks, etc that are added for the shoppers.  The produce is always the best and inexpensive.  You can even pick your own.  The shopping is done in wheelbarrows.
I had plenty of visitors as I painted.  Kids wanted to tell me about their paintings.  Others debated which pumpkin to buy.  The general rule that I heard from several parents, 'you have to be able to carry it to the car'.  This is a plein air painting experience that is among the best.

Monday Afternoon at the Depot

We have such glorious weather for painting.  I was at my favorite site, the Davis Depot, for some plein air painting.  It was quieter than in the morning.  Major train traffic occurs mornings and late afternoon from my experience.  The southwestern architecture of this building appeals to me and by catching it at different times, the shadow and shading change.  This creates a new scene for my painting of a familiar landmark in Davis California.  I can make the composition just the way I want it by moving something or leaving it out.  Everyone still knows where the place is from the painting.

Dixon CA Train Station

Little known secret: Dixon California has a train station even though no trains stop there.  The station is currently used by the Chamber of Commerce.  The train tracks run along the front and there is a path across them.  While I was painting, many trains came whistling through at high speed.  The warnings at the crossings all go off and gates come down on roads that cross the tracks.

Some day, when the population increases to some size that warrants a stop, this station will be in business.

Tuesday Morning at the Station

The Davis Train Depot is rather iconic for the city.  It is my favorite place to paint when home.  There are many people coming and going, especially students whose bicycles are left all over the place.  This is a first, painting from this vantage point.  It is down the tracks and behind the iron gated fence that prevents wandering onto the track.  I didn't expect any visitors but one women from Pittsburgh was very interested and came to chat.  Fortunately, someone yelled to her as they climbed aboard the Chicago bound train.  They had to hold the train as she had to circle back for her luggage and then get out to the train.
I finished in about 2hr which is the parking limit.  Davis has very efficient parking attendants who hand out lots of tickets.  

Water View of Amalfi

Took a long break in October but did a lot of painting.  This is the last of my watercolor paintings from my time in Italy this summer.  We took a water taxi from Amalfi to our hotel.  The view from the water is very different than from the road.  I did this painting on Arches 140 lb paper that is glued to board.  No wrinkling and painting on paper is soooo much better than fabric or clayboard.  I am interested to see how it holds up.

Turtle Beach

Painted this from a picture.  This was another example of direct glazing of the 'growies' up on the sand bank.  The value change is evident with the diminished intensity of the palm in distance and lighter sand color.  There is back lighting so the shadows cascade down the beach.

California Oak Tree

It was a beautiful morning for plein air painting.  At first, a little nip in the air, but then warmed up so that you would be most comfortable in shorts.  I was painting out on the levee of Cache Creek.  The creek has little water but the oak trees are magnificent.  They drip like candles or like willows.  There was a bright blue sky with only a cloud or two.
I painted this wet into wet.  I started with the sky followed by painting the leaf canopy in raw sienna, then direct glazed with sap green and then direct glazed with ultramarine blue.  When still wet I put in the trunk and limbs using wet lines and adding colors.  When all dried I finished the leaf canopy with an indirect glaze of cobalt blue and added shadows. 
The shed had a horse who showed only once and I kept waiting to put it in the painting but it never showed again.  What a great feeling to be out painting.