Back Street on Cape Cod

There is something nostalgic about VW buses. This is a very old model as I remember. They were commonplace during the 6o's. I did not own one but had friends and when it appeared, a good time was ahead. There is a shop in Sacramento that works on VWs and often I see the old model buses. I have painted them into several of my paintings done on Cape Cod because I see them there. It is a bit more difficult drawing it from memory. I had a photo of this old house which I sketched from and painted a value study. This study was missing something so I put in a VW Bus. One of the discoveries that comes from value studies is composition and connecting shapes.

SF Summer

. I've painted a lot over 6 years in Sausalito. There are terrific views of the Golden Gate from Fort Baker where you can set up pretty close. I am not there now. This painting is from memory and many sketches done. Fog comes in under and over the bridge. This is the cooling system for the Sacramento Valley. This cool fog travels up the Delta and keeps us cool during the night. Many a summer tourist to SF has arrived dressed for warm weather only to learn that it is the coldest time of the year. Sausalito is in Marin and stays warm until the very end of the day. I will return and do some plein air work in Sausalito.

Stormy Davis

. It's only 3 days to the start of spring. After weeks of beautiful weather with sunshine and temps in the high 70s and 80s, we are cold with rain and dark skies. This adds to the misery of isolation and quarantine from our pandemic. It does mean painting but I'd prefer to be out doing plein air. As I manipulate my photos I want to see value changes and the real thing. When plein air painting, it is like taking an exam with all the answers in front of you.

Under Quarantine

One of my great moments as a child growing up in New England was the 'no school whistle' that sounded after a big snow storm. It meant breaking out the board games and playing music with my sibs. There are some similarities to the current quarantine with the corona virus, painting plus the board games. I pulled out some photos and did some sketching and painting and there went nearly an entire day. This painting is a scene of a favorite bike ride in Winters CA. There is no shortage of places to paint in this area. I like plein air painting there and take it all in including the smells and sounds. It is a favorite.

An Old Barn

. The morning sun was shining and our group traveled out to farm lands east of Davis. As you can see from the photo this barn was not much and was quite distant in a large field. I set my easel up and did a value study trying to decide if should go any further. Everyone else was settled in with various trees and roads, so I decided to paint, making several changes. This is the warmest weather (74) we've had this month and I was very comfortable. I love painting old barns and bone yards. We have lots of them to practice on. If they are not old looking, I know how to transform them and give them some aging.

Plein Air Painting on Old Davis Road/Becker, Davis

. It was a beautiful morning. Our group came looking for an old barn. Actually, there were several old barns, barking dogs, lots of junk, eg. cars, tractors, sheds, etc. on the site. Sunflowers were farmed last year and the field was ready for planting. I did several sketches and added and eliminated until I finally found something for painting. I sketched more on my watercolor paper and then even added more while painting the scene. It was one of those days. Warm, sunny with just a little wind. No-one around other than our group. I should have taken a photo, since the painting is very different with my additions and rearrangements. It was fun to fuss with the painting and hope that I didn't do too much. I've always lived with the rule that watercolor painting is like golf; the fewest strokes wins.

Tornado Cleanup 2019

. A tornado came in from the ocean and hit Harwich on Cape Cod. We had the warning but couldn't believe it until we heard the screaming wind and retreated to the basement. It was over quickly but the cleanup lasted. The chain saws and grinders greeted us every morning. Every tree and arborist in New England seemed to land on Cape Cod and worked throughout the summer. I didn't have to go far to sketch the damage. I did some paintings plein air. Recently, I saw a painting done on a full sheet in watercolor that reminded me of my sketches. I couldn't wait to paint another from my sketches.