Another Fun Challenge

For July the amazing James Gurney offered another challenge for plein air artists.  I missed his first gas station challenge but loved trying the next one which was painting an outdoor market, Painting Challenge.  Then for Halloween a few months later there was the October Graveyard Challenge, October Challenge!

Somehow I missed a couple of the events in 2016, but happily this month we had James Gurney's Dead Vehicle Plein Air Painting Challenge.  Fortunately for me there is a well-known old, dead truck nearby at the stables.  I've painted this truck before in 2013, The Truck.  James Gurney's challenges are just for fun, not a contest.  Artists need to show a photo of the artwork in progress at the location.  I wanted to try painting the truck again, and our Saturday group met there so we could participate in the event.  There is usually a chicken or two sitting on the truck but I didn't see any this time.   A fun morning!

7" x 5" Gouache

Across from the Park

We haven't had a paint-out at Alhambra Park for about four years.  My Alhambra Pool watercolor was done there then, four years ago.  The park is very close to where I live in South Pasadena and has some nice features as well as interesting surrounding areas.  Anyone seeing some of my paintings has probably noticed I like to include utility poles.  It turns out that across the street on the east side of the park is the Alhambra section of our main electric power distribution system.  There were some substantial utility poles I hoped to include in my landscape painting.  It turned out to be a smaller, quicker watercolor so, only one pole.  Always a fun morning painting with friends in the park.    

5" x 7" Watercolor

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

The Park Bridge

It's lotus season at Echo Park so we were there recently for our Saturday paint-out.  It's such a pretty park with its lake, trees and flowers, downtown view, and the bridge.  My previous post on Echo Park was Ice Cream!  It's interesting to see what appeals for a painting with each visit to the park.  I didn't see much of the ice cream vendor this time.  But the old, steel, footbridge really stood out.  The bridge's gates are locked.  It must have been fun to walk across at one time.  It's such a wonderful blue green color which stood out from the yellow plants blooming below it, and I hadn't tried painting it before.  I'll try painting the lotuses maybe next time.

8" x 10" Watercolor

Friendly ducks looking for a treat from this family. 

Ranch Afternoon

One of the painting groups decided to meet in the late afternoon to try a piece with the sun going down.  We decided to go back to Ward Ranch in Sierra Madre since there is a nice view of the mountains which would change with the changing light.  It was last December when I was there last and painted this gouache piece, December at Ward Ranch.  I ended up painting from almost the same spot this time and did a watercolor.  Well, the sunlight was certainly changing fast on the mountains.  What a challenge to decide how to chose which shadow pattern to go with.  We all had fun at this challenging paint-out.

8" x 10" Watercolor

Some of our group, photo by Shinji Isozaki