Friday, September 4, 2015

The Rialto Revisited

I was back at the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena for my third paint-out there.  The first was over two years ago, The Rialto.  Opening in 1925, the theater is a landmark in the city but it's been in a state of disrepair for several years and closed to the public.  The theater needed a new owner with some restoration plans.  It was finally purchased this year by a redeveloper of older historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles.  The plan is to turn it into an "entertainment venue" that screens old movies.  We'll see.

In the meantime, the local landmark is popular for plein air painters who have wanted to paint it before it was gone.  There was some shade across the street so I tried a gouache piece.  I think it's a difficult building and not very "picturesque".  While we were painting, the first stage of renovating the interior had started.  Workers were carrying barrel after barrel of debris out to a truck.  It will be interesting to see what its new look will be while keeping some of the old. 


5" x 7" Gouache


  

4 comments:

  1. The painting always makes the real thing so much better!

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  2. I remember your "older" Rialto. Love this work, and your approach from a tough angle. (how great would that be to have a venue for old flicks!)

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    1. Thanks Terry. We hope this turns out well. Better than the crumbling building at least.

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