Morning Clouds Above AV

Posted 2021/10/23

I drove up to the ranch yesterday morning and just as I got to Alexander Valley the rain began to thin. The Light was marbled and beautiful so I pulled over below lake Elizabeth to paint. Worried about another downpour, I set up under the back door of my little hatch back car but it was all for not because the weather only improved. It was another gorgeous morning in Alexander Valley and I was happy to be back home once again. I didn’t even mind when the neighbor’s security guard stopped to interrogate me about trespassing.

Winery Driveway

Posted 2021/10/22

The light yesterday afternoon were pretty fantastic. I had some time before driving back down to Marin so I swung by the winery to paint the view looking south. It started raining on me about an hour in and I had to wrap up earlier than I would have liked.

POV — artist’s view, on the driveway to the winery looking south

Outgoing Tide

Posted 2021/10/19

Painting next to the footbridge behind Kent middle school. The tide went out faster than I expected and I saw the water drop about two feet. I had to retool the composition a few times just to keep up. Probably should start checking the tide charts before heading over to the salt marsh.

Downside of having a really light painting kit: The wind got me again. It blew over the painting and chipped it this time. I had to scrap my first pass to get all the rocks out. ugh

First Rain

Posted 2021/10/17

Big deal here in drought stricken Marin CA, it actually rained! Excitedly I took my gear across the street and started to paint a soccer/football game over at Kent Middle school. It was just a drizzle at first then the wind picked up and it turned into a proper storm. I had to fight to hold onto the canvas. The match across the marsh got called around the same time my umbrella crumpled in the wind and took my painting for a ride. Drenched I pulled my pallet from the mud and ran back home.

The Canadian in me mocked my retreat back to the warm apartment but the American in me enjoyed finishing the painting while drinking wine and watching movies with the kids.

Corte Madera Sunrise

Posted 2021/10/13

I couldn’t sleep so I drove over to the bay to paint. I set up on the north side of the estuary looking south across Corte Madera Marsh State Marine Park, aka the running trail behind Trader Joe’s. While I was roughing in the underpainting, the high school running team passed by on their morning loop and then the sky exploded into a brilliant wash of pink and lavender. It was a lovely sunrise.

Creekside Dawn

Posted 2021/10/11

The wind woke me up around four this morning and after a fruitless effort to go back to sleep, I grabbed my painting gear and rode over to the marsh inlet. I painted until the sun crested the trees and couldn’t see anymore. After a short stop at the bakery I headed back home and finished this up over coffee.

Larkspur Morning

Posted 2021/10/09

After my morning coffee I stepped across the street to paint the salt mash. I like how shadows from the trees off to the right cut across the landscape early in the morning.

Harry Allen Trail

Posted 2021/10/08

Freezing and windy, that about sums up this mornings painting session. It’s was as if an invisible hand flipped a switch on the weather. The morning started out pleasant and then the temperature dropped and what was a light breeze turned into a roaring gale.

Twice my painting nearly flew off the easel. At one point my pallet caught the wind just right and flipped over upon itself, splattering the oil jar across my working space. What was my reserve jar of medium was then carried away by another tempest and emptied itself into the hillside. I painted till my hands turned blue then called it quits and ran for coffee.