Some Architecture

Two recent paint-outs have been to locations featuring their architecture.  A few weeks ago we painted at Eliot Middle School in Altadena.  The architects, Marston and Maybury are well known for their many structures in the Pasadena area.  I tried a gouache piece of the school, built in 1931.  It's now called the Eliot Arts Magnet Academy and features a colorful mural on one wall.

There was an auction to benefit the school so we plein air painters donated our pieces.  The organizer sent a photo of the pieces set up for the auction., so I'll include that here.

A few weeks earlier we were at a new park which is directly under the famous 1912 Colorado Street Bridge.  I must admit painting the bridge is intimidating at 150 feet high with its curves and arches.  But, there I was right under the bridge so I painted a small watercolor.  A spectacular location!

5" x 7" Gouache

7" x 5" Watercolor

Virtual Paintout - Amsterdam!

Thanks to Bill Guffey for restarting the Virtual Paintout!  For September the location to virtually find our view to paint was Amsterdam.  Using Google Street View it seems that every single street, as well as canal, in Amsterdam has been photographed.  Of course I could still be looking around such a beautiful city.  I'll never be there in person so I always love the push from the Virtual Paintout to be there virtually.

Watercolor 5" x 7"

Watercolor 5" x 7"

Grandview Point

A few weeks ago the paint-out group had Angel's Point in Elysian Park on the schedule.  Elysian Park covers some hills with wonderful views overlooking much of Los Angeles.  I tried painting there a few years ago but never found Angel's Point what with the maze of windy roads and smaller hills.  Unfortunately on this visit the gate to Angel's Point Rd. was closed.  No problem.  We found Grandview Point which has terrific views of downtown L.A. to the south, and the foothills to the north.  An ariel tramway was proposed to Grandview Point a few years ago.  I decided to paint a watercolor of the vista I could see through the trees and bushes from the hilltop.  Great views!

8" x 10" Watercolor

Los Angeles River with bridges

Metrolink Central Maintenance Facility,
historically Taylor Yard from the 1920's

Virtual Paintout - Buenos Aires!

It's been almost five years that I've been participating in the monthly Virtual Paintout.   Bill Guffey chooses the locations from places the Google Street View vehicles have covered.  I really enjoy seeing these sometimes exotic cities and countries without the hassle of traveling.  This month it was Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.  It's the most visited city in South America and known for its preserved Spanish/European-style architecture.  The busy downtown did look beautiful but too crowded for a painting.  The city is 78 square miles so there was a lot to see in my limited time.   I noticed many parks so I chose one to try as well as a view from the coast.

Watercolor 5" x 7"

Watercolor 5" x 7"

A Show!

I was so surprised and thrilled to be asked to participate in the "Paint the Music" event at the Laurie Hendricks Gallery, part of the Eclectic Music Festival in South Pasadena.  Of course I did a blog post about the event, Eclectic Music Festival.  I painted a plein air piece the day of the event as did the other participating artists.  As a result of the event, Laurie offered Pati Bruce, an oil painter, and me, a two woman show at the gallery!  So it will be my watercolors and gouaches, and Pati Bruce's oil pieces for the City Views show running till October 21.  This is so exciting, and such an honor.

Virtual Paintout - Malta!

I always enjoy participating in the Virtual Paintout each month.  For July 2017 the location was Malta, a small island country in the Mediterranean.  Due to its strategic location it has had an interesting history, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, French, and British...wow.  Malta got independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, and became a republic in 1974.

Malta is a popular tourist destination so I saw cruise ships and yachts in the harbors.  There are also architectural and historic monuments including seven prehistoric temples.  I found the islands to be beautiful and so interesting to virtually look around for my painting views.  I like to try a watercolor, and a gouache piece.      

5" x 7" Gouache

5" x7" Watercolor

Virtual Paintout - South Korea!

For May 2017 the Virtual Paintout was in South Korea.  It seems I never have enough time to thoroughly, virtually, look around the month's location.  I really enjoyed seeing what I could of South Korea.  The country looked like somewhere I would love to visit in person someday.  Thanks to the Virtual Paintout I was compelled to see a tidbit of such an interesting place.

5" x 7" Watercolor

5" x 7" Watercolor

Virtual Paintout - Nashville!

The February 2017 Virtual Paintout was in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Virtual Paintout is in a different city or country each month, chosen by creator and host, Bill Guffey.  I really enjoy virtually looking around for a view to paint in the many places that I'll never be able to visit in person.

But this month was Nashville!  There have only been a few Virtual Paintouts in cities I've visited.  I haven't seen much of Nashville but in 1996 we drove from Southern California to the Olympics in Atlanta.  The highway mostly stayed on the outskirts of the city but we did stay that night in south Nashville.  I looked around the area on Google Street View.  There were some wonderful, rustic views.  That was something I enjoyed about this month's city, great landscapes and also nice city views.  Looking forward to next month's location.

5" x 7" Gouache

5" x 7" Watercolor

The Blue House

A recent gouache piece painted from the hilltop Southwest Museum parking lot.  We were also there in March and I tried a watercolor that day, Southwest View.   This is the same hillside view but this time I included the striking blue house and the yellow house.  I avoided them last time.  A fun "pop of color"!

5" x 7" Gouache

Museum tower

Too much weed whacking that day!

Virtual Paintout - NSW!

Each month I enjoy participating in The Virtual Paintout.  Artists find their virtual view to paint using Google Street View.  The location for March 2016 was New South Wales.  I was excited to look around that part of Australia and I wasn't disappointed.  It looks very beautiful, and now at the top of the list of places I would like to visit.

I like to use the smaller pieces I paint for the Virtual Paintout as practice.  I recently read an article by a watercolorist I admire who coincidentaly lives in Melbourne, Australia for part of the year.   He puts in his dark values at the beginning of his paintings which isn't the usual way to work in watercolor.  So, I gave it a try on these two pieces.  Interesting way to work, and I will give that approach more practice!

5" x 7" Watercolor, Sydney Harbor

5"x 7" Watercolor

Southwest View

The Saturday plein air group visited the historic Southwest Museum for a recent paint-out.  It was my fourth time painting at the hilltop museum.  I really enjoy the view from the parking lot of the various surrounding neighborhoods.  Rooftop views are always interesting to me and something different to paint.  On our previous visit I painted a watercolor looking north, Hilltop View.  It's a downtown area in that view.  This time I looked southwest for a more residential view with hillsides toward downtown Los Angeles way off in the distance.

8" x 10" Watercolor

Night Scene!

Those of us in one of the paint-out groups planned to try painting a night scene.  It would be a new experience for me!  There was a piece of equipment I needed...one of those headlamps to wear on my head.  Got that.  I was undecided about whether to try a watercolor using some liquid masking fluid to save the white lights, or a gouache piece where I could use white paint for the lights.  I have a few brands of masking fluid but ran out of time to experiment with them enough before trying to use them at the site.  So it would be a gouache piece.

We met in Monrovia on Myrtle Avenue before dark.  There is a theater with a bright marque near the intersection where we were.  I thought it would be a nice center of interest.  It was good we were there before dark so I could get some paint roughed in.  The street lights started coming on about 6 PM which was nice to see.  It quickly started getting darker.  And darker.  Where some dusky sky was showing earlier, it became blackness.  Roof lines disappeared.  I definitely needed my new headlamp to be able to see the paints.  It was a challenging paint-out and I would like to try a night scene again sometime.    

5" x 7"  Gouache

After the lights came on

Before the lights came on

City Hall

The 1927 Pasadena City Hall showcases elements of a couple architectural styles.  I think it's a challenge for artists to paint.  It's a stately and impressive structure featuring some difficult details like arches, domes, and spires.  I was there for a paint-out several years ago and never finished the watercolor since I didn't like the way it was going.  When I returned recently, the group met in a plaza on the east side of City Hall.  Another civic center building and trees caught my eye, some distance away from the main dome.  The bare trees that I liked, I ended up leaving out since they would have made the scene too busy.  There is a charming City Hall courtyard I would like to try next time.  

8" x 10" Watercolor

The courtyard

 

Myrtle Avenue Revisited

It seems I've revisited many local locations for paint-outs with several different groups.  So, as mentioned in my Myrtle Avenue post, I returned to Monrovia's Library Park a month later with another plein air group.  There are always new subjects and vistas to choose.  Even alleys are sometimes interesting but finding shade is usually a problem.  For my visit in January, I couldn't resist looking north along Myrtle Avenue at the hazy mountains and three striking palm trees.  It was a busy street corner and we had quite a few people stopping by to comment.  A newspaper photographer even took some photos of the group and our paintings.  We don't know if we made the paper.

8" x 10" Watercolor

Moreton Bay Fig tree in the library park.