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

Echo Park - Two Gouaches

Our paint-out group will be at Echo Park in Los Angeles tomorrow.  But here is another gouache piece I had not posted on my blog since we painted there in July.  Time to catch up a little!  My previous blog post was a gouache piece from our plein air paint-out at the lake in 2015, Boathouse Umbrellas.  I'm also sharing another gouache piece from our Echo Park visit in 2013!  I was ambitious that day and painted a watercolor and also a gouache piece.  I ended up painting over some of the gouache and hadn't really finished it until now.  So here are two gouaches, finally completed.  I'm wondering what will catch my eye at the lake tomorrow.

7" x 5" Gouache

Jimmy painting the 1932 boathouse.

7" x 5" Gouache

Fuller Last Year

Fuller Seminary in Pasadena is on our plein air paint-out schedule.  I realized I hadn't posted my gouache piece from our paint-out there a year ago.  It was a chilly, overcast day in February 2016 when I painted this piece.  The bare trees caught my eye.  On my previous visit it was a brighter day and I painted a sunny watercolor, Fuller Seminary.  I'm including a photo of my friend and fellow painter, Bill.  He had his back to the walkway but I had a nice view of the many people passing by and taking a phone photo of Bill at work on his oil.  We wondered if any were posted on Instagram.

7" x 5" Gouache

Bill painting at Fuller Seminary

Park Neighbor

Last Saturday the paint-out group met at Singer Park in Pasadena.  I painted there once before and posted my gouache piece in Grant and Singer.  Unfortunately I arrived late and spent time chatting with fellow painters, as painting time went by.  I almost left since it was getting late.  But of course, I do like to try a painting when I've gone to a paint-out!  From a shaded picnic table there was a nice view of the pretty home next to the park.  Just enough time to paint a small watercolor which got too "busy" to add the "moon" park lamp.

5" x 7" Watercolor

  

Virtual Paintout - Puerto Rico!

Each month I enjoy participating in the Virtual Paintout hosted by Bill Guffey.  Bill chooses the month's location from places covered by Google Street View vehicles.  Artists can virtually "walk" around the location to select their subject to draw or paint.  I always learn something when I virtually visit cities and countries that I'll never get to see in person.

For January 2017 the location was Puerto Rico.  It is an archipelago of islands, and an unincorporated territory of the United States.  I always run out of time looking around.  And I didn't realize until after I finished my two paintings and saw other artist's submissions that I forgot to look around Old Town San Juan.  Disappointing.  Of course I can still look around there with Street View.  Where will next month's location be?  

5" x 7" Gouache

5" x 7" Watercolor

The Villa Revisited

As I mentioned in my blog post last month, Villa Del Sol D'Oro, we would be returning to the villa at the private Alverno School.  This 1928 Wallace Neff villa in Sierra Madre is special to see and our paint-out group is happy to have the opportunity to visit and paint there again.

I chose a view of the west entrance this time, painted from the wonderful Mediterranean style garden.  On this watercolor, I probably pushed the terra cotta color of the building a little.  It's so pretty to see here.  And as usual I'm undecided on adding a figure.  Our group liked this piece as is so I've left it for now.  Looking forward to a third visit.

8" x 10" Watercolor

West entrance

 

Winter Light

A break in the January rain we're having here in Southern California made for a beautiful paint-out day at Arlington Garden.  It was chilly but the sun was out.  The many garden paths, plantings, and charming furniture really provide many surprises and a hard choice of what to settle on for a painting.  My previous paint-out there was in September, New Umbrellas!.  Some striking backlit, leafless trees behind a table and chairs at the end of the bocce court caught my eye.  I used gouache since I thought it would dry faster than transparent watercolor on such a chilly day.

7" x 5" Gouache

Another view I liked, maybe next time